Tour plane nose-dives in Lanai; passengers OK
Strong crosswinds are suspected as being the cause of a single-engine aircraft crash at Lanai Airport, authorities said.None of the three passengers was hurt in the crash at 1:10 p.m. yesterday, but the aircraft sustained damage to its landing gear and left wing, said Maui police Sgt. Donald Kanemitsu.
The Anderson Aviation aircraft was on a tour and attempting to land when it swerved off the runway, nose-dived and stopped about 80 yards off the runway, authorities said.
State transportation spokesman Dean Harvest said Federal Aviation Administration officials are investigating the cause of the crash.
Wind swipes small plane into Oahu airport crash
A small private plane hit a crosswind, causing it to nose-dive into the ground at 11:20 a.m. yesterday while landing at Honolulu Airport, a state Department of Transportation spokesman said.The plane, a consolidated Vultee L-13, similar to a Cessna, was piloted by its owner, who was uninjured. His passenger sustained a 4-inch cut to his right shin but refused treatment, the transportation spokesman said.
Two crash rescue teams were on the scene at 11:24 a.m. Runway 4 Left, where the accident occurred, and Taxi Intersection D were shut down until the aircraft was cleared at 1:30 p.m.
Repairs to gouges in the runway were completed at 3:15 p.m.
Federal prosecutor Alm tapped for judgeship
Gov. Ben Cayetano has named outgoing U.S. Attorney Steven S. Alm to the Circuit Court.Alm was named yesterday to the vacancy left by Circuit Judge Kevin Chang, who was appointed to the U.S. District Court.
The appointment is subject to confirmation by the state Senate.
Alm, who has headed the federal prosecutor's office for seven years, had been expected to be replaced by the new Republican administration.
He previously served nine years as a deputy prosecuting attorney for Honolulu and was an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law.
Alm initiated the Weed and Seed crime reduction program, which involves cooperative efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement officials. It has led to a 70 percent reduction in crime in the Kalihi-Palama/Chinatown area.
He is also active in neighborhood activities at Mayor Wright Homes and Kuhio Park Terrace and teaches in the National Guard's Youth Challenge Program.
Lemon law proves fruitful for isles
The state helped consumers collect $477,000 for vehicle defects under the lemon-law program.The 55 claims arbitrated in 2000 were a significant reduction from the previous year, with 85 claims netting $588,000 recovered.
A Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs official credited consumer awareness and better industry response for the decline.
The complaints included 13 about General Motors vehicles, 12 about Fords, six against Chrysler Corp., four about Mazdas and one against Toyota. The department report pointed out that although Honda has 6.1 percent of the market share, the 10 complaints amounted to 18 percent of all state complaints.
The automobile industry "has taken significant strides in successfully reducing the number of cases that must be resolved through arbitration," said Jo Ann Uchida, enforcement officer in the regulated-industries complaints office, in a release.
"Overall we are pleased with the decrease in lemon-law complaints last year and encourage consumers to review our annual lemon-law results when purchasing a new motor vehicle."
[ THE COURTS ]
Alleged sweatshop owner held without bail
A federal magistrate has ordered a Korean national accused of running a sweatshop in American Samoa and physically mistreating Vietnamese workers held without bail while awaiting further court appearances.Kil Soo Lee, 47, is accused of involuntary servitude and forced labor in a March 23 complaint.
A preliminary hearing is set for April 10 in U.S. District Court here.
Lee ran Daewoosa Samoa Ltd., which employed imported workers to sew "Made in USA" garments for large U.S. retailers.
Lee had a visa to work in American Samoa but failed to renew it.
Had he been released, he would have been detained by the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
"Although this country has a great history founded on indentured servitude ... we have the presumption of innocence, and we ask that it be preserved until we have a trial on this matter," said deputy federal defender Alex Silvert.
Leeward school officers file suit for charter status
Officers of a new charter school that hopes to open on the Leeward Coast have filed suit in Circuit Court seeking charter status.The complaint filed in Circuit Court on Thursday names Gov. Ben Cayetano, schools Superintendent Paul LeMahieu and the Board of Education.
Ka Waihona O Ka Na'auao Public Charter School said it submitted its implementation plan on Nov. 16 but is still waiting to be granted a charter.
Officials said the period for the state to issue a charter expired Feb. 14.
By law the Board of Education has 60 days to review the plan.
Unless the board finds that the plan does not meet certain requirements, the governor, superintendent and the school board issue a charter within 30 days and convert the plan to a written contract.
On Feb. 12 the Department of Education notified Ka Waihona officials that the proposed plan did not meet requirements in seven areas, including health and safety and discrimination in recruiting, and sought more details.
The department said it would set a new 60-day review period when it received the necessary information.
[ CORRECTIONS ] The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Publisher and Editor in Chief John Flanagan at 529-4748 or email him at jflanagan@starbulletin.com.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Hiker's injury requires copter trip out of Manoa
A 51-year-old orthopedic nurse from Kentucky broke her left ankle yesterday afternoon as she was hiking on the Manoa Falls Trail, a fire official said.The woman's husband called for help on his cellular telephone at about 2:20 p.m. after she was injured 200 yards from the falls.
Because the terrain was slippery and rocky, a Fire Department helicopter arrived at 2:37 p.m. and transported her to the Manoa Recreation Center.
She was taken by ambulance to Queen's Medical Center, a fire official said.
Waipahu salon fire sends out much smoke; all OK
Firefighters evacuated 11 employees and 10 customers at the Waipahu Fantastic Sam's at about 5 p.m. yesterday.The fire, which caused a lot of smoke, was probably caused by electrical equipment failure, a fire official said. The exhaust fan motor short-circuited.
Six fire companies responded to the alarm.
Damage to the building at 94-050 Farrington Hwy. was estimated at $3,000, and $500 to the contents. No one was injured.
Man says he revived child in pool with CPR
A 4-year-old boy was found unconscious on the bottom of a Village Park house pool by his mother's boyfriend yesterday afternoon, a fire official said.But when fire rescuers arrived at about 4:30 p.m., the child was conscious and breathing.
The man told firefighters he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the boy and that he regained consciousness.
The boy was taken to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children.
Bones in West Loch find located, appear animal
Police say the broken pieces of skeletal remains found in a white mesh bag surrounded by children's clothing in West Loch appear to be those of an animal.An anonymous man hiking off a foot trail contacted CrimeStoppers on March 24 and reported his findings.
The man led police to the area at 12:15 p.m. yesterday.
The remains were taken to the medical examiner's office for a determination.
Kamehameha coach denied bail in drug case
An assistant baseball coach at Kamehameha Schools was denied bail by a federal judge yesterday after he was indicted on charges of conspiracy to distribute drugs and possession with intent to distribute.The FBI arrested assistant coach Michael B. De Kneef last week, along with 10 others who are allegedly involved in a drug ring that imported crystal methamphetamine to Oahu and Maui from San Francisco.
De Kneef was found with 20 bags of cocaine in his pants pocket with prescription drugs and admitted to a serious drug problem, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Muehlack.
Spokesman for Kamehameha Schools Kekoa Paulsen said De Kneef had a clean record, and the athletic directors do not recall any problems with him.
"We have a zero-tolerance policy for both students and staff, so if there had been any incidents, he would have been dismissed," Paulsen said.
De Kneef had no teaching responsibilities, he added.
