Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Wednesday, April 18, 2001

A whole lot of
hole to fix

An alert motorist spies a sinkhole
in the road and alerts sewer crew

KEN SAKAMOTO / STAR-BULLETIN
A sinkhole 3 feet in diameter and 10 to 11 feet deep appeared
in South Kalaheo Avenue in Kailua yesterday morning and
kept a portion of the road closed until 7 p.m. last night.
Sewer department workers praised a woman who saw the
hole while driving at about 9:45 a.m. They said she
stopped, pulled a trash can from the curb to blockade
the hole and diverted traffic around it until sewer
workers arrived around 10 a.m. Sewer workers did
a number of tests and determined that the sewer line
beneath the street had not been affected. Kalaheo
Avenue is scheduled for sewer replacements in the
near future, and the sinkhole was triggered by test
drilling in the area on Monday, said city officials.
The hole was filled with crushed rock yesterday
and was to be repaved today.

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Aloha United Way names Slovin to lead campaign

Attorney Gary Slovin has been named campaign chairman for the Aloha United Way.

Slovin, who is with Goodsill Anderson Quinn & Stifel, is a former executive director of the Hawaii Ethics Commission. He served as Honolulu corporation counsel under former Mayor Eileen Anderson. He has served on the boards of the Friends of the University of Hawaii Richardson School of Law and of the Hawaii Theatre Center.

He will oversee the annual drive, the largest fund-raising event in the state, which will begin in August. As chairman, he will help establish the goal and develop a strategy to meet it, said Aloha United Way Chairman David McCoy.

Last year, the campaign raised $13.5 million.

Isle humpback population on the rise, says scientist

Humpback whales are steadily increasing in Hawaiian waters, according to local scientist Joe Mobley.

Mobley will be discussing the latest findings on the population density of humpback whales in a free lecture at noon tomorrow at the Department of Land and Natural Resources Kalanimoku Building, Room 132.

Mobley has been conducting aerial surveys on humpback whales in Hawaiian waters since 1993 using the technique of distance-sampling.

"In the seven-year period of sampling waters around all the islands, we are seeing that humpbacks are increasing at an average rate of 7 percent each year," said Mobley.

"If this estimate is reliable, the population will double every 13 years," Mobley said, noting more research is needed to ensure the increase can be sustained.

HECO to replace antenna on Waahila Ridge

Hawaiian Electric Co. will be using a helicopter to transport material to Waahila Ridge to replace a communications antenna between Manoa and Palolo valleys.

Crew members will begin repairs beginning today through Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Corrections and clarifications

>> Llewellyn Kauhane Kinolau, 57, of Honolulu and California, a retired waiter from the Ilikai Hotel, died March 28. His first name was misspelled in an obituary last Wednesday. A corrected version is printed today.

>> Former Gov. George Ariyoshi ran on the slogan "Quiet but effective." A report yesterday misstated the slogan.

Corrections and clarifications 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.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

Kidnapping suspect rearrested for threats

A man who eluded a SWAT team and is awaiting trial for kidnapping and terroristic threatening was arrested for allegedly threatening a woman in a call from prison.

Frank Chin, who was taken into custody in January after a standoff at a Nuuanu apartment, was arrested yesterday for investigation of intimidating a witness.

Human bones found at old Waianae HonFed

Construction workers have unearthed two human skulls and a hipbone at the old HonFed property in Waianae.

They were digging a ditch and doing demolition Monday at 85-891 Farrington Hwy. when they made the discovery.

No determination has been made as to the age of the bones or how long they have been at the site.

Liberty House cashier arrested for embezzling

A cashier at Liberty House Ala Moana was arrested Monday night for allegedly embezzling more than $20,000 since last September.

The 24-year-old Ewa woman was booked for theft.

Detectives said the woman fraudulently credited herself for refunds. She would then buy clothes with the refunds and resell them at swap meets.

The amounts ranged from $300 to $4,000.

The store's Loss Prevention Department discovered the theft this month and called police.

Big Isle fire volunteers to receive $24,000

VOLCANO, Hawaii >> Three Big Island volunteer fire departments will receive a total of $24,000 from the National Park Service to improve their readiness to help with national park fires, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park announced.

The Volcano Volunteer Fire Department, near the Volcanoes park, will receive $16,000. The Waikoloa and Kohala Ranch Volunteer Fire Departments, near Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site, will receive $4,000 each.

The Rural Fire Assistance Program supplies the money to buy wild-land fire supplies.