Convicted murderer loses bid for a lesser sentence
A former Oahu Sugar employee convicted of murder will have to serve a life term with parole for the beating death of a 14-year-old Waipahu High student in 1977, a state judge has ruled.Circuit Judge Victoria Marks denied Alexander Milho's request yesterday to correct what he contended was an illegal sentence. Milho, who was sentenced in January 1978 to a life term, claimed he should have been sentenced to 20 years. At the time of his conviction, however, laws allowed the court the option of sentencing a defendant convicted of murder to 20 years or life with parole, said Deputy Prosecutor Kevin Takata.
Man sentenced to prison for his home meth store
A Waianae man accused of running a drug "takeout" window from his residence was sentenced yesterday to 22 years in federal prison and five years of supervised release.Joseph Correia, 61, was convicted in U.S. District Court in February of conspiring to traffic methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine for distribution and unlawfully possessing a firearm. He received a concurrent 10-year prison term for the firearms conviction.
According to the government, Correia and co-defendant Glenda Kawaiaea distributed methamphetamine from his Waianae home from at least 1997 to December 1998. The "takeout" window was open daily from noon to 10 p.m. and had between 40 to 50 regular customers.
State flags lowered in honor of Ike Sutton
State flags will be flown at half-staff from sun-up to sundown today in honor of the late Richard "Ike" Sutton. The former state representative died June 30. He was 86 years old.
Japanese Center to receive large endowment
Sen Soshitsu XV, grand tea master of Urasenke, will present a $1 million gift to endow the directorship of the Center for Japanese Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.A signing ceremony between UH President Evan Dobelle and Sen will take place Thursday at the Hawaii Imin International Center on the Garden Level from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Sen is a professor of traditional Japanese culture and history at the University of Hawaii. He is also president of the Urasenke Foundation.
The fund is being established in commemoration of the 50th anniversaries of Urasenke International and the Urasenke Hawaii Shibu.
The money will fund postdoctoral fellowships in the Center for Japanese Studies and education, outreach and tea activities. Also, the center will establish the Dr. Sen Soshitsu International Way of Tea Center.
An art exhibition of tea utensils will be displayed at the Honolulu Academy of Arts, and an Urasenke seminar will be offered through the University of Hawaii's Outreach College starting next Tuesday.
About 1,200 people from around the world are expected to take part in Urasenke anniversary events culminating in a formal ceremony at the Hawai'i Convention Center on July 19.
Helco enters agreement with supplier of wind power
KAHUA RANCH, Hawaii >> Up to 10 megawatts of the Big Island's electrical capacity for the next 20 years will come from a new wind-power facility at Kahua Ranch in North Kohala, the Hawaii Electric Light Co. has announced.The state Public Utilities Commission approved a contract between the company and Kahua Power Partners last month.
Helco President Warren Lee said wind machines, subject to frequent breakdowns in the past, are much better designed today.
"Wind power is coming of age as a reliable electricity generation technology," he said.
Two aspects of the contract with Helco make financing of the $17 million project easier for Kahua Power, Lee said.
Minute-by-minute wind-speed fluctuations were a problem in the past, he said. The present contract requires machines that provide a smoother power output.
"These machines ride the wind much better," Lee said.
The second feature of the contract is a fixed price to be paid to Kahua Power per kilowatt-hour, giving the company greater certainty about its revenues when it applies for bank financing.
Past contracts allowed payments to vary unpredictably with the varying price of oil, which the wind power replaced.
The Big Island already gets 30 percent of its power from renewable sources, compared with a national average of 2 percent, Helco said. The biggest source is Puna Geothermal Energy, with a capacity of 25 megawatts.
Corrections and clarifications
>> A file photo Sunday of the Helios showed the test plane flying at the Dryden Flight Research Center near Edwards, Calif., in 1999. A caption had incorrect information on the time and place.>> The federal government provides a partial flat reimbursement fee of $275 for military personnel who place their pets in state quarantine; the state until June 30 allowed a discount for each pet of certain military personnel. A July 8 story gave incorrect information about the discount program.
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. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffCENTRAL OAHU Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Beating death of Kona man investigated
KAILUA-KONA >> Police are conducting a murder investigation in the death of a man found beaten at Kahaluu Beach parking lot Sunday night.The victim, Alden Pauline, 46, of Kailua-Kona , was taken to Kona Hospital where he died at 11:32 a.m. yesterday, police said.
An autopsy has been ordered to determine the cause of death.
CENTRAL OAHUFirefighters called back to fight brush fire again
Honolulu firefighters were called back to an area around the Poamoho Experimental Farm along Kaukonahua Road yesterday when a brush fire that started Sunday flared up. The flare-up burned five acres. On Sunday the fire scorched 10 acres.Firefighters were back at the scene by 8 a.m. yesterday after halting fire fighting efforts the night before due to darkness. Although fire officials classified the blaze as "extinguished" at 3:11 p.m. yesterday, they said it was still burning but headed into a gully, miles away from residential areas.
Fire officials said a passing motorist probably started the fire unintentionally by flicking a cigarette or other lit item into the brush.
LEEWARD OAHU
Stabbing prompts search for daughter's boyfriend
A 40-year-old Waianae woman is in guarded condition at Trifler Army Medical Center with two stab wounds she suffered in an argument last night with her daughter's 21-year-old boyfriend.Police said the woman was stabbed in her chest and abdomen about 11:50 p.m. outside her home on Maui Road. Police were still looking for the daughter's boyfriend this morning.
Kids playing with lighter started Ewa Beach Fire
Investigators determined that a child playing with a lighter caused Saturday's fire that damaged the upstairs of an Ewa Beach townhouse.The fire at 91-613 Kuilioloa Place started in the master bedroom of unit U-5 of the Ewa Apartments at Kulana, gutting the second floor of the two-story unit causing $45,000 damage.
A 34-year-old woman, her 70-year-old mother and the woman's two sons, ages 11 and 5, had just moved into the townhouse a week before.
Neighbor fights fire with 2 garden hoses
Honolulu firefighters say a Waianae man's quick thinking likely saved his neighbor's three-bedroom home yesterday. The 41-year-old man broke into the home to put out a fire in the living room, fire officials said.The neighbor, who does not want to be identified, broke into the home at 95-794-C Lihue St. armed with two garden hoses and started shooting down the fire, according to fire Capt. Richard Soo. The home is occupied by two adults and four children who were not home at the time of the fire.
Soo said the fire started at 2:45 p.m. and caused an estimated $12,000 in damage. The fire appears to have started at the couch, said Soo.
WAIKIKI
Broken water line ties up traffic
A broken water line on Ala Moana Boulevard shut down two of the four Waikiki-bound lanes fronting Ala Moana Center during rush-hour traffic this morning. The Honolulu Board of Water Supply said a six-inch line from the main line to a fire hydrant near the Atkinson Drive broke at 3:46 a.m. Repair efforts were expected to take most of the day.
Wife allegedly slashes her husband's stomach
A 53-year-old woman was arrested yesterday for allegedly slashing the stomach of her 42-year-old husband. Police said the incident happened late Sunday at 2943 Kalakaua Ave.Police said the victim and the suspect were arguing when woman pulled out a 10-inch knife and waved it wildly while telling the victim to stay away from her. Police said that at some point the suspect cut the victim but that the injuries were not serious.
Honolulu
Couple declines to press charges after fight
A Honolulu couple who smashed the windows of each other's vehicles in an argument yesterday declined to prosecute each other for the damage.However police arrested the 34-year-old boyfriend for attempted murder because witnesses told them the man tried to run over his 28-year-old girlfriend with his truck. The girlfriend told police she purposely stood in front of the truck to aggravate her boyfriend. She suffered a cut to her arm in the argument but was treated at Queen's Medical Center and released.
WINDWARD OAHU
Man charged with escape from State Hospital
Police Sunday charged Peter Krause, 19, with escape walking off the Hawaii State Hospital grounds over the weekend.Police said Krause walked away from the hospital cafeteria at 5:15 p.m. Saturday but was apprehended an hour-and-a-half later on Kaneohe Bay Drive. His bail is $12,000.
Suspect sought after kidnapping and attack
A woman told Honolulu police that her ex-girlfriend kidnapped her yesterday to withdraw money from her bank to pay for parking tickets.Police said the suspect punched the victim in the face at her Kauila Street home in Punchbowl, threatened to cut her throat and forced her into her car. The victim told police that she was forced to drive to her credit union in Kailua to take money out when she managed to get away.
EAST OAHU
Paramedics revive man
Hawaii Kai emergency personnel found a 62-year-old male visitor from Korea face down in three feet of water in a lagoon at the Mauna Luan condominium along Hahaione Street at about 5:47 p.m. yesterday. The victim was found with no pulse, but firefighters and paramedics were able to revive him. The victim was taken to Straub Hospital where he remained in critical condition.
