Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Sunday, July 1, 2001

TO OUR READERS

Same quality coverage
with more sections

Readers rule.

As a result, when you pick up your Star-Bulletin tomorrow, you will have four sections in front of you, rather than the usual two.

The sections are the ones you have told us you were used to and wanted again: news and photos from Hawaii and the world, Today!, Sports/Classified and Hawaii Inc.

There will also be other organizational changes, such as moving our Star-Bulletin columnists to the front pages of their sections.

Our Sunday paper will have more sections too, beginning next week. In addition to the main news section, there will be Hawaii, Sports, Business, Insight, Travel and Classified, and Mauka Makai magazine. Parade magazine, Island Homes, TV Hawaii and Comics will continue to be part of the package.

You asked for more sections and now, with new parts on our presses, you will have them.

Note to readers: Due to the June 25 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in the New York Times vs. Tasini case, Starbulletin.com has suspended posting material by freelance writers and photographers until legal agreements stipulated by the ruling have been signed. We will resume posting these columns and photographs as soon as the necessary agreements have been reached. We regret the inconvenience this poses, and ask for your patience.

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Some parts of H-1 to close for cleaning

Portions of the H-1 freeway will close from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow, for drain cleaning.

The areas include the Vineyard offramp, the Punahou onramp to the freeway westbound, and the right and center lanes of the freeway westbound at the Punahou Overpass.

There will be no closures July 4.

Other closures for July 2 to 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. include:

>> Piikoi onramp to the freeway eastbound, 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

>> Punahou offramp, right lane, intermittently closed 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., barrier work and drainage work.

>> King Street offramp, westbound, Monday, road work.

Public invited to take part in free plum-picking harvest on Kauai

LIHUE >> This is the big weekend for plum harvesting on Kauai.

Plum season opened at Kokee State Park yesterday and runs through Aug. 12.

The public is invited to pick the fruit for free from trees that were planted for that purpose in the 1930s. Permits may be obtained at the park headquarters on the way to the plum groves.

Harvesting is allowed between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. in designated areas.

About 1,000 people participated last year and 75 percent of the fruit was harvested on the first weekend. Each person is allowed to take up to five pounds per day.

The traditional method of picking plums is poking at the fruit with a long stick or pole and catching it in a net before it hits the ground.

The plum crop this year is considered below average because of a lack of rainfall. Some groves are nearly bare while others have a bountiful crop, according to the State Parks Division.

[WINNERS & LOSERS]

[WINNERS]

Iron Chef: Hawaii Chef Roy Yamaguchi joined the TV culinary elite with his role in "Iron Chef USA: Showdown in Las Vegas," the American version of an immensely popular Japanese cooking competition show. Yamaguchi plays the part of an "iron chef" of Asian cooking.

School kids: When big losers stole the playground equipment at Barbers Point Elementary school, isle residents responded. Donations surpassed the cost of the lost equipment many times over. "There's bad out there, but there's more good out there than bad," said teacher Stephanie Paz.

Easter Seals: Last weekend's Taste of Honolulu raised $250,000 for Easter Seals Hawaii, with 50,000 people attending the three-day festival.

[LOSERS]

Strip joint: The Golden Dolls Showgirls strip club at 939 Keeaumoku Street had its liquor license revoked for numerous violations, including hiring an underage dancer. The club owners' attorney said they will appeal the decision in Circuit Court.

"China" Chong: Richard Lee Tuck "China" Chong was sentenced to life in prison for killing William Noa Jr. almost four years ago over a $100 drug-related debt. Chong, 50, will be sent to a maximum-security facility on the mainland.

Churchgoers: The Maui Planning Commission shot down plans to build a nondenominational Christian church on agricultural land in Kula, Maui. An attorney for the Hale O Kaula church said his client plans to appeal the decision all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary.

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Corrections and clarifications

>> A story yesterday about outgoing University of Hawaii President Kenneth Mortimer had a display quote that was incorrectly attributed to him. The statement, "If you bargain in isolation ... oblivious to what the state needs, you're getting yourself into trouble," was made by Gov. Ben Cayetano.

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

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Head-on collision kills 2 people, hurts 4 on Maui

KAHULUI >> Two people died and four others were injured Friday night when two cars collided near Kahului.

Maui police say 50-year-old Frank Alvarez of Pukalani was Kahului-bound on Hana Highway when the Nissan Sentra he was driving crossed the center line near Hansen Road and hit a car heading toward Paia at 7:45 p.m.

Alvarez died at the scene. His wife, Mona, 41, died of her injuries at the Maui Memorial Medical Center, police said. A small dog in the Sentra also was killed in the crash.

The Wailuku family in the other car was hospitalized. A 28-year-old woman was reported in critical condition yesterday. The 30-year-old driver and the couple's 7-year-old daughter were in stable condition.

Mountain View home damaged by fire

A fire caused $250,000 damage to a Big Island home on Friday, the Hawaii County fire department reported.

The fire burned a two-story wooden house on Lehua Street in Mountain View, southwest of Keaau.

The fire was fully involved when firefighters arrived just before 5 p.m. They got the blaze under control at 6:08 p.m.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Body found burned will be autopsied

Hilo detectives are investigating the death of a person whose body was found burned beyond recognition Friday morning inside a vehicle on North Kopua Road in the Mountain View area of Puna.

An autopsy has been scheduled to determine the victim's identification and the cause of death.

LEEWARD OAHU

Wreck at 'excessive' speed kills passenger

A crash in Makaha killed one man and sent another to the hospital in critical condition yesterday morning. Honolulu police said the accident happened at 1:40 a.m. on Farrington Highway, just south of Makaha Valley Road.

Police said the car was heading northbound on Farrington Highway at an "excessive" rate of speed when the driver lost control and struck a utility pole. A 42-year-old male passenger was ejected from the car upon impact and died at the scene. Police said the 15-year-old male driver was critically injured.

HONOLULU

Police find weapons and drugs in raid on home

FBI and Honolulu police raided a home near the corner of Piikoi and Rycroft streets yesterday. An FBI spokesman said officers were executing a search warrant during the operation at 740A Piikoi St.

The spokesman would not confirm whether anyone was arrested. He did confirm that a drugs, weapons and money were seized.

Suspicious fire harms maker of police uniforms

A suspicious fire caused an estimated $10,000 damage to a company that makes police uniforms last night, the Honolulu Fire department said.

The fire, in a storage area in the back of Pacific Linen Company at 1315 South King Street, was reported at 6:51 p.m. and under control at 7:05 p.m.

Swimming pool workers dig up human remains

Workers in Kahala unearthed human remains while digging the foundation for a swimming pool last week. The remains were found at 814 Kealaolu Avenue Friday. Police were called to the scene yesterday.

Courtney Construction officials said workers found the remains about five and a half feet underground Friday afternoon. Police said the remains appeared to be more than 50 years old.

The remains have since been collected by state archeologists with the Department of Land and Natural Resources.