Feedback mostly positive on Haleakala telescope
The Department of Land and Natural Resources received mostly positive feedback at a recent public hearing on plans to place another telescope on the Haleakala summit, a state official said.About 30 people attended Thursday's public comment session on Maui, said Sam Lemmo, land use planner for the DLNR. Some native Hawaiians spoke of development concerns but did not oppose the project, he said.
If all goes as planned, construction on the Faulkes Telescope could begin in 2002, he said. He was not sure how long construction would last.
The Faulkes Telescope Corp. of England will provide most of the funding for the 80-inch telescope, which would be the world's largest telescope for education and scientific outreach. The University of Hawaii also is involved in the project, which will allow students in distant astronomy classrooms to use the telescope.
Farrington Highway open after pipe, road repaired
All four lanes of Farrington Highway near Ala Hema Street along the Waianae Coast reopened yesterday after temporarily being shut down because of a water main break.The 20-inch water main ruptured at about 9 a.m. Saturday, creating a 20-foot-wide sinkhole in the middle of the highway fronting the Waianae Neighborhood Community Center. Police closed a quarter-mile stretch of highway between Ala Hema and Ala Akau streets.
Traffic was limited to two lanes for much of yesterday, but the pipe and the road were fixed by 3 p.m., said Denise De Costa, spokeswoman for the Board of Water Supply.
The cause of the break probably was corrosion, De Costa said.
Hawaiian Humane Society solicits photos for pet calendar
People who think their pets would make great pinups can pose them for a 2002 calendar put out by the Hawaiian Humane Society as a fund-raising project.The deadline to enter the pet photos is July 31.
The 14 best photos will be featured in color as full-page Pets of the Month. Others will be included in a multipage Best Friends Collage.
All photos must be in color, horizontal in layout, no bigger than 6 by 4 inches and contain only animals, no people. All entries must be postmarked by July 31, include a $15 entry fee for each photo, and will not be returned.
There is no limit to the number of entries that may be submitted to the Humane Society, 2700 Waialae Ave., Honolulu 96826. A professional panel will judge the photos. Polaroid photos, disks, e-mail or computer-generated photos printed on plain paper will not be accepted.
The calendar will go on sale in November.
For information and tips for taking great photos, call 946-2187, ext. 370, and state your name and mailing address clearly to the voice mailbox.
Zoo fund-raiser goes 'Bowling for Rhinos'
The Honolulu Chapter of the American Association of Zookeepers is recruiting bowlers for its 10th annual "Bowling for Rhinos" fund-raiser Saturday.Proceeds will go to three conservation organizations protecting hundreds of endangered plant and animal species and their habitats.
In Kenya the association supports the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, which protects black and white rhinos and other native species. In Indonesia the group helps support the Javanese and Sumatran rhinos at two national parks.
Bowlers may sign up as individuals or teams. The fund-raiser will be held at Waialae Bowl at 4618 Kilauea Ave. A $15 packet for each bowler will entitle him or her to three games, shoe rental, pledge sheet and T-shirt. Each bowler should get at least $25 in pledges. All bowlers and donors who give $25 or more will be invited to meet the Honolulu Zoo rhinos.
Donations for prizes are also being accepted. Tax-deductible contributions should be made to the Honolulu Zoo, 151 Kapahulu Ave., Honolulu 96815. Call 971-7199 for more information.
TAKING THE REALLY HIGH ROAD
Maui woman avoids jail time, loses license for traffic death
WAILUKU >> A 42-year-old Maui woman who caused a fatal traffic accident won't be allowed to drive ever again.Circuit Judge Artemio Baxa suspended Sally Lou Keanini's driver's license for life on Friday and placed her on five years' probation. Keanini, who escaped jail time, had pleaded no contest to second-degree negligent homicide.
The parents of victim Debbie Ann Corcorin, 42, agreed with the sentence.
"I don't know if I would be able to live with myself knowing she was in jail," Lorraine De Mello said.
"We have forgiven her," Edward De Mello said. "Sending her to jail would be the wrong thing to do."
The De Mellos said their main concern was that Keanini not be allowed to drive.
Keanini was traveling 70 miles per her hour when her pickup truck went out of control, crossed the center line of Haleakala Highway near Haliimaile and crashed head on into a pickup truck driven by Corcorin on Nov. 22, 1997, Deputy County Prosecutor Jeffrey Keating said.
Jury selection to begin in trial for pilot's murder
Jury selection was to begin today in the Oregon murder trial of the wife of a Hawaiian Airlines pilot.Liysa Ann Northon is charged with murder in the October 2000 shooting death of her husband, 44-year-old Christopher James Northon.
Police were following up on a domestic-disturbance call when they found Northon dead with a gunshot wound to the head on Oct. 9, 2000, the day after the shooting. His body was found at the Shady Campground in Enterprise, Ore., where the couple was camping.
Liysa Northon faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison if she is convicted of murder, said Wallowa County District Attorney Dan Ousley.
Northon has been in jail since she surrendered to police, Ousley said. Her first husband, who lives in Lanikai, is taking care of her two sons.
The Northons owned homes in Lanikai and in Bend, Ore. They had a history of domestic disputes, the Wallowa County Chieftain newspaper reported. A Union County sheriff confirmed that Liysa Northon had a black eye when he transported her from one jail to another, the paper said.
The murder trial had been postponed at least once, but Ousley said he expects jury selection to begin in Wallowa County Circuit Court as scheduled.
"We're just going to get started and will move through it as quickly as we can," said Ousley, whose co-counsel is Steven Briggs, assistant attorney general for the Oregon Department of Justice.
Northon, who was 38 at the time of the arraignment, is being defended by Patrick Birmingham.
Circuit Judge Phillip Mendiguren will preside.
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 staff
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
CENTRAL OAHU
Construction mishap kills worker in Mililani
A 38-year-old man died at Wahiawa General Hospital after he was struck on the head with a backhoe in Mililani. A medical examiner identified him as Leo Castillo of Honolulu.Police said Castillo was building a wall at a home on Ahoka Street when a backhoe operated by another man slid off a mound of dirt and struck the victim at 9:07 a.m. He was taken to Wahiawa General Hospital, where he died. Police classified the incident as an unattended death, and an autopsy will be performed.
Pearl City liquor store's auto teller machine stolen
A Pearl City liquor store was broken into eaxrly yesterday and its automatic teller machine was stolen.A police officer on patrol noticed that the glass door to Chubby's Pantry at 945 Kamehameha Highway was smashed just before 6 a.m. yesterday. The officer notified the owner who discovered the ATM inside the store was stolen.
The thief or thieves had turned off the electricity to the building and cut the telephone, cable and audible alarm speaker wires. The ATM machine was found in a ditch outside the building. It had been pried open and had all cash removed. The owner also discovered money from the cash register was stolen.
WINDWARD OAHU
Waimanalo man, 61, dies after motorcycle accident
A 61-year-old motorcyclist died after losing control in a curve and hitting a guardrail in Kaaawa yesterday afternoon. A medical examiner identified him as John Soria of Waimanalo.Police said Soria was traveling Kahuku-bound along Kamehameha Highway on a 1990 Harley-Davidson when he lost control at about 11:15 a.m. He was thrown from his motorcycle near Crouching Lion Inn. Police said Soria was taken in critical condition to Castle Medical Center, where he later died. He was not wearing a helmet, police said.
State Hospital escapee caught; another at large
Two men escaped from the Hawaii State Hospital in Kaneohe yesterday afternoon. One was caught last night.Police said Michael McDonald, 37, was given permission to walk along the grounds of the hospital at noon. He failed to report back an hour later.
McDonald was last seen wearing a green, long-sleeve shirt and dark pants. He is described as 5-feet-10, 212 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.
Steven Rowland, 32, was given a pass to go to the gym but did not return to his room. He was picked up at his father's house in Pearl City at about 8:15 p.m., police said.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Newlywed California man drowns off Kauai resort
POIPU, Kauai >> A 49-year-old California man was pronounced dead Saturday about an hour after his newlywed wife spotted him floating face down offshore from the Kiahuna Plantation Resort.The victim, whose name was not released, went out bodyboarding with fins, said Charlie Hiramoto, acting Lihue Fire Department battalion chief. The victim's wife, 46, decided to join him and rented some equipment, but before she could get in the water, at about 4 p.m., she saw her husband in trouble, Hiramoto said.
Bystanders called 911, and a surfer tried to bring the man to shore on his board. Lifeguards with a jet-powered watercraft brought the man to shore, where attempts at resuscitation were begun. The man was pronounced dead at Wilcox Memorial Hospital. An autopsy will be performed.
