Family sues for death in May 2000 car crash
The family of a 22-year-old San Diego man killed in a car crash on Dillingham Boulevard in May 2000 has filed a wrongful-death suit against the driver and his employer.The suit, filed yesterday in Circuit Court by the family of Wilfredo Vasquez, named as defendants Anthony Hensley, who died in the crash, and the floor covering company he worked for.
According to the suit, Vasquez was a passenger in a 2000 Buick Regal driven by Hensley, 32, when the driver failed to follow the bend in the roadway, sideswiped a telephone pole, then crashed into a tree near Kaaahi Place.
The suit says Vasquez died as a result of Hensley's "careless and negligent conduct."
It also alleges Paige Floor Covering Specialists, a California corporation doing business in Hawaii, was negligent in allowing Hensley to operate the car when the company should have known he was unfit to drive.
DRIVER INJURED IN SUV ACCIDENT
Avian botulism outbreak ends at Maui pond
WAILUKU >> The outbreak of bird deaths due to botulism bacteria appears to have ended at Maui's Kanaha Pond State Wildlife Refuge, state wildlife biologist Fern Duvall said.Duvall said a search yesterday of the 240-acre pond found no dead birds.
"It's a real good sign," he said. "We did a real good search."
State wildlife officials said since the botulism was detected in early July, they have found 34 dead birds, all of them endangered species, including 10 koloa, or Hawaiian ducks, 14 alae keokeo, or Hawaiian coots, and 10 aeo, or Hawaiian stilts.
Duvall said state workers have been removing carcasses of dead birds regularly and pumping brackish water into the pond to increase circulation and decrease the chances of botulism.
The last outbreak of botulism was in 1997, when hundreds of birds died at Kanaha, he said.
Big Island farmer wins USDA praise
Big Island farmer Richard Ha has been profiled in a book titled "The New American Farmer," published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program.Ha was one of 48 farmers across the nation with thriving, profitable family-run operations, working in harmony with the environment and helping to improve their communities.
Ha has helped create an "integrated pest management" program for bananas in Hawaii that reduces the need for pesticides. He has lobbied for federal crop insurance programs and created a profit-sharing program for his 70 full-time workers. His apple bananas have been selected for the holiday fruit baskets of the Harry and David catalog.
"Richard Ha is an excellent example of the new 'sustainable' farmer/rancher. He has a strong environmental ethic, has been innovative in marketing bananas and has created an operation that has really impacted his community and the state of Hawaii," said Richard Bowen, SARE program coordinator at the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
>> The Pacific American Foundation has been awarded a $162,290 grant to establish the Pacific American Research Center. The center will be used to inform policymakers at the federal, state and local levels about various needs of Pacific Americans based on data collected during Census 2000. The research center is expected to be operational in 2002. [Taking Notice]
>> Honolulu resident Travis Lee has been selected as a Cornell Tradition Fellow for the 2001-2002 academic year at Cornell University (N.Y.). Lee is one of 150 freshmen nominated and selected for the program from an incoming class of over 3100 students. He was selected based on work ethic, volunteer service, extracurricular activity participation and academic achievement during high school. Lee is a graduate of St. Louis.
>> Jesse Dowsett, a junior at Kamehameha Schools, was crowned team roping champion at the 2001 Hawaii High School Rodeo Association finals. Dowsett, who was also named reserve champion in the All Around Cowboy division, traveled to Springfield, Ill. last month to compete in the 53rd Annual National High School Finals Rodeo. He competed in the boys cutting and team-roping competitions.
>> United Armored Car Services has named the following individuals as recipients of its 2001 Ike Kumu Awards and Scholarships: Raymond W.M. Koo, Maryknoll High School; Simon Y.W. Che, Iolani School; and Matthew S.D. Koo, Iolani School. The awards are given based on the academic achievements of the students.
>> The Kohala Center has been awarded a $35,000 grant by the National Endowment for the Arts. The center plans to use the money to design new facilities and/or redesign existing facilities. The Kohala Center is a new, private academic institution that conducts various teaching and research programs in Waimea, Hawaii.
>> Hawaii Pacific University has awarded Sheila Banigan a $1,000 honorarium for being selected as the Elementary Economics Teacher of the Year. Banigan, a fifth grade teacher at Sacred Hearts Academy, was selected for her contributions to promoting economic literacy in Hawaii's classrooms. She was honored by the Hawaii Council on Economic Education and the Hawaii Economics Association during a luncheon May 4 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.
>> Min Suk Kim has been awarded the R.J. Pfeiffer A&B Community Scholarship by the McKinley High School Foundation. Kim will use the $6,000 four-year award to attend the University of California at San Diego.
>> Sandra Au, Melisha Gronley and Ynhu Le have been awarded MHS Foundation scholarships by the McKinley High School Foundation. Au and Gronley will attend the University of Washington. Le will attend UH-Manoa. The three students will receive $6,000 each for four years.
>> Joanne Yim has been awarded the Senator Daniel K. Inouye Scholarship by the McKinley High School Foundation. Yim, who will attend the California Institute of Technology, will receive $3,500 for her college education.
>> Sze Woon Lau has been awarded $1,250 as the recipient of the Jack Tsui Scholarship from the McKinley High School Foundation. Lau will attend UH-Manoa.
>> Erin Lum and Gina Ishida have been awarded Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation Scholarships by the McKinley High School Foundation. The two will receive $2,500 each towards their studies at the University of Washington and the University of Southern California, respectively.
>> Elaine Owens and Yong Gui Lin have been awarded MHS Foundation Scholarships by the McKinley High School Foundation. Owens will attend the Rochester Institute of Technology (N.Y.). Lin will attend the University of the Pacific (Calif.). Each student will receive $1,250.
>> Terri Okihara, Timmy Kwan, Amanda Lau, Wendy Chen and Cristy Ann Ku have been awarded Hung Wo and Elizabeth Lau Ching Foundation Scholarships by the McKinley High School Foundation. Kwan, Lau and Chen will attend UH-Manoa. Okihara and Ku will attend the University of Arizona and Whittier College (Calif.), respectively. Each student will receive $1,000 towards their college education.
>> Bernadette J. Visitacion has been awarded a $1,000 Daniel K. Inouye Scholarship by the McKinley High School Foundation. She will attend Seattle University.
>> Yi Hong Wu, Olivia Tu, Chi Nga Chan, Voltaire Gansit and Huy Ho have been awarded MHS Foundation Scholarships by the McKinley High School Foundation. Wu and Chan will attend UH-Manoa. Tu and Gansit will attend the University of Washington and the University of Wyoming, respectively. Vo will attend the University of Oregon. Each student will receive $1,000.
>> The McKinley High School Foundation recently awarded MHS Foundation Scholarships to the following students: Taylor Lai, Kapiolani Community College; Ngoc Dam, KCC; Jeanelyn Firme, Honolulu Community College; Jenna Huang, KCC; Ying Keng Huang, HCC; Teevale Afoa, College of the Canyons; and Hanna Chang, KCC. Lai and Dam will receive $2,000 each for two years. Firme will receive $1,500. Jenna Huang, Ying Keng Huang, Afoa and Chang will each receive $750.
>> The Hawaii Business Education Association named the following individuals as officers for the 2001-2002 academic year: Kay Fujimoto Ono, president; John F. White, president-elect; Michael Fujita, vice president; Karen A.H. Quimoyog, secretary; and Della Kunimune, treasurer.
HBEA awarded its Post-Secondary Student Award to Leeward Community College student Julie Baumgarten. Kay Fujimoto Ono was awarded the LCC Outstanding Lecturer Award for 2001.
HBEA also announced its 2001 Keyboarding Contest winners. In the college division, Trisha-Michelle Carvalho of Windward Community College won first place. Wendy Frank, a student at Leeward Community College, was awarded second place. Patricia Iwahashi and Julie Baumgarten tied for third place. Jason Chan, a student at Moanalua High, and Kelsey Ann Morinaga, a student at Aiea High, won first and second place, respectively, in the high school division. Chan was also named the overall statewide winner.
In the intermediate/middle school division, Kamehameha Schools students Christina Busby, Jacob Ho and Michael Smith took first, second and third place.
>> Centro Hispano de Hawaii (the Hispanic Center of Hawaii) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Verizon Foundation. The grant will help fund Centro Hispano's operations in the coming year and aid in development of a Hispanic Technology Center. The organization received the money during a presentation held June 28.
>> Roosevelt High School graduate Sophia Wong has been awarded the inaugural Venture Capital Deal of the Year scholarship by the Hawaii Venture Capital Association. The HVCA also presented the Andersen scholarship to Roosevelt graduate Jonathan Higa, the Sales and Marketing Executives of Honolulu Inc. scholarship to Hilo resident Matthew Johnson, and the We the Women of Hawaii scholarship to Waiakea resident Shauni Snorgrass. Wong and Snorgrass each received $1,000. Higa and Johnson were awarded $750 each. All four scholarship winners were honored June 28 at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani Hotel.
>> Ronald K. Migita has been named president of the Boy Scouts of America, Aloha Council. He is a life scout with Troop 40 (Wailuku, Maui) and has served as a scoutmaster for Troop 488 (Aiea). Migita has also served as Kahala District chairperson, council executive board member and council vice-president. In addition, the following individuals were elected vice presidents: Martha R. Brown, Don E. Carroll, Thomas Contrades, Roger Drue, Robert H. Jones, Benjamin A. Kudo, C. Dudley Pratt Jr., Helen Shirota-Benevides, Charles A. Sted and Alvin A. Tanaka. Alfred Fernandes, Rodney R. Shinkawa and Clinton R. Churchill were named council commissioner, treasurer and past president respectively.
Corrections and clarifications
>> The Honolulu Fire Department has turned in all of the fire inspection reports on Oahu public schools. An article Friday reported that HFD had not turned in 36 reports. School officials said two HFD reports weren't included in a report to the Board of Education and the other county fire departments hadn't turned in 34 reports.
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
LEEWARD OAHU
Police arrest fugitive on contempt warrants
Honolulu police have arrested fugitive Nelson Abiley, a nine-time convicted felon wanted for several contempt-of-court warrants. Abiley, also known as JohnJohn, was arrested at 11:30 a.m. yesterday in Ewa Beach.Police said Abiley had been convicted of robbery, assault, burglary, promoting prison contraband, auto theft and escape.
Husband, wife arrested after fight at their home
A husband and wife were both arrested yesterday after an argument over the use of a car turned violent.Police said the 38-year-old husband woke his wife at about 6:15 a.m. yesterday in their Waianae home and asked to use her car to go to work. She refused. Police said the man then choked his 34-year-old wife, threw her against the bedroom wall and threatened her with a 12-inch strip of metal he tore from the window frame.
Police said the wife ran from the bedroom, grabbed two knives from the kitchen and confronted her husband with them in the living room. The husband picked up a a vase to use against his wife and to protect himself from the knives. He still suffered at least three cuts to his left arm, police said.
The wife ran into her brother's bedroom and locked the door. When police arrived at the Alohiki Street home they said the husband had two knives in his hands and was trying to break down the bedroom door.
The husband was treated for his wounds and arrested for terroristic threatening and abuse of a household member. The wife was arrested for assault.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Dead Maui swimmer had been drinking, police say
WAILUKU >> The body of a man found in waters off Waiehu has been identified as Maui resident Paul Shiro, 22. He had been drinking and was last seen swimming at 6:30 p.m. Saturday by a friend, acting police Lt. Ronald Hiyakumoto said.His body was found at 9:30 a.m. Sunday south of a park pavilion at Waiehu Beach Road.
Big Isle police seek help in ATM card theft case
HILO >> Hilo Criminal Investigation Section detectives are seeking the public's help in solving the theft and fraudulent use of an ATM card.The victim, a 37-year-old Hilo man, said someone had stolen his First Hawaiian Bank ATM card and had made a total of eight illegal cash withdrawals from ATMs on June 11 and 12.
By tracing the exact times of the withdrawals, police got several photos of the illegal transactions.
They are asking that anyone with information about the theft and illegal withdrawals or the identity of the thief to call Detective Grace Castillo of the Hilo CIS at 961-2377 or the police nonemergency number at 935-3311.
Those who wish to remain anonymous may call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.
Visitor dies in plunge from Maui waterfall
WAILUKU >> A visitor died yesterday in East Maui after slipping from a waterfall and hitting his head on a rock.The victim, 54-year-old Christopher Franklin of California, was traveling with his family when he fell about 50 yards mauka of Waikamoi Bridge at 12:35 p.m., Assistant Fire Chief Donald Moniz said. Efforts to revive Franklin were unsuccessful, Moniz said.
Hilo man apparently drowns after fall into sea
HILO >> A Big Island fisherman apparently drowned yesterday when he fell into the sea while fishing in the King's Landing area of Hilo, police said. He was identified as Antonio N. Robert, 35, of Hilo.Fire Department rescue personnel, notified at 1:26 p.m., said Robert was unconscious and not breathing when they arrived with a county helicopter. A companion of the victim and an area resident assisted in pulling Robert from the water.
