Friends of Hawaii Kai offer library book sale
Friends of Hawaii Kai Public Library will hold a book sale from Saturday to next Sunday. Funds from the sale will be used to support library activities such as the Summer Reading Program.The sale will take place in the meeting room from noon to 4:45 p.m. at the Hawaii Kai Public Library at 249 Lunalilo Home Road. For further information, call 397-5833.
Balloonist tries another round-the-world trip
NORTHAM, Australia >> American adventurer Steve Fossett took off at dawn today on his fifth attempt to fly solo around the world in a balloon.The "Solo Spirit" slowly rose from the ground, and with it the Chicago millionaire. Before liftoff, Fossett, 57, looked calm and said he was confident, despite weeks of delays and setbacks. Winds blowing in the wrong direction yesterday had delayed the launch for several hours.
Using a patched-up balloon that tore open on takeoff the last time he tried to set off, Fossett plans to cruise eastward, powered by high-altitude winds. If successful, the trip around the world should take about 15 days.
It will be his sixth attempt to circle the globe via balloon, including the failed bid he made in 1998 with two other men.
[WINNERS & LOSERS]
[WINNERS]
Found pooch: Maizie, a terrier mix and visitor to Maunalani Nursing & Rehabilitation Center as part of the Hawaiian Humane Society's pet therapy program, was returned to her owner last week after being lost for a month.Father and son: Schofield Barracks Chaplain Bill Manning received a hero's welcome after donating a kidney to his 2-year-old son, Sam.
Whale lovers: Maui resident Greg R. Monk enlisted three tourists to help a pygmy sperm whale and her calf back into the water after the two were stranded on Kamaole II Beach Park.
[LOSERS]
Lightning rod: Board of Education member Denise Matsumoto backed down from her proposal that Hawaii science classes be open to other theories on the origin of life, such as the Bible-based creationism, in addition to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.State schools: Hawaii's public school students again fared poorly in a national test -- this time for fourth- and eight-grade math.
More time: Michael Kahapea, already serving 50 years for stealing from the Ewa Villages relocation project, was sentenced to an extra 10 years for theft from three other city projects.
Corrections and clarifications
>> Tanya Fuamatu's name was misspelled in an article yesterday on the Riggers Beach Volleyball Championships. Also, she played volleyball for University of Hawaii-Hilo, not Hawaii Pacific University.
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 staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
EAST HONOLULU
Hawaii Kai theft has police seeking 2 suspects
Police yesterday were looking for two men on suspicion of stealing cash and travel bags from a man in a parked rental car in Hawaii Kai.A 21-year-old man was waiting for a friend when two men, age 18 to 25, approached his car and demanded his cash and property.
When the victim refused, one suspect struck his car several times with a hammer.
The suspects allegedly took his money and grabbed his bags from the trunk before fleeing, police said.
WINDWARD OAHU
Electrical failure blamed for house fire in Kailua
Fire investigators determined yesterday the cause of a Friday night Kailua house fire as probable electrical failure of a refrigerator in the garage, according to fire Capt. Richard Soo.The fire destroyed the house at 1422 Nanaloko Place off Akamai Street in Enchanted Lake and left a family of four homeless.
The fire caused an estimated $100,000 damage to the house and $50,000 to its contents.
HONOLULU
Man arrested in alleged kidnapping, sex assault
Police arrested a Honolulu man yesterday morning in connection with a kidnapping and attempted sexual assault.A woman, 46, told police she was in the Hotel Street area just before 5:30 a.m. when she asked the 35-year-old man for a ride home. The suspect allegedly drove her to Austin Lane and North King Street where he parked his car and exposed himself, asking her for oral sex, police said.
When the woman refused, he grabbed her neck and tried to force her to do it, police said.
The man allegedly threatened to stab her with a knife, but no weapon was seen. The woman fled and called police. It was not known if the two had known each other.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Missing snorkeler's body found near Keauhou
Fire rescue teams in Kona yesterday morning found the body of the snorkeler missing since Friday.He was identified as Dale Miller.
Miller had been reported missing about 9 p.m. Friday, when his wife reported he had gone snorkeling at Honaunau Bay between 1 and 2 p.m. that day. When she went to check on him, she found his car there and no snorkel gear or diving bag in the car.
At daybreak yesterday, fire rescue teams resumed an air, land and sea search for the man. His body was found floating off an area known as Red Hill, 3-1/2 miles south of Keauhou. Miller's body was taken to Kona Hospital.
