State flag at half-staff in honor of Rudy Pacarro
Gov. Ben Cayetano has ordered the state flag flown at half-staff today and tomorrow in observance of the death of Rudy Pacarro.The former state representative and City Council member died Feb. 25 at the age of 74. He had been ill for several weeks following a stroke and heart attacks.
Pacarro represented the Kalihi, Salt Lake and Moanalua areas of Oahu for 23 years in the Legislature and City Council.
Pacarro's political career came to an end in 1985 when he and two fellow Council members were removed from office in a recall election after they switched in midterm from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
2 suits filed challenging Big Isle voting districts
HILO >> Two groups of Big Island residents have filed separate lawsuits challenging recently established Hawaii County Council voting district lines. Kona-based Citizens for Equitable and Responsible Government filed one suit against the Hawaii County Reapportionment Commission, while a group of individuals headed by North Kohala resident Richard Boyd filed the other.Both suits say the county commission made a number of errors, including allegedly illegally putting communities with different backgrounds into the same district.
The suits were refilings, done after the state Supreme Court declined to hear the cases directly.
The suits were assigned to separate Hilo judges, and no hearing dates have been set.
Gandhi's grandson will lecture in Honolulu
Arun Gandhi, the founder of the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence in Tennessee, will lecture Saturday in Honolulu.Gandhi is a grandson of Mohandas Gandhi, nonviolence advocate whose efforts led to India's independence. His appearance is part of the Season for Peace and Nonviolence, sponsored by a coalition of local organizations.
Tickets for his 7 p.m. lecture at Unity Church of Hawaii are $20. Reservations at $35 may also be made for a 4 p.m. reception and book signing. Call the church, 735-4436, ext. 303, for reservations.
Realtors' board seeks scholarship applicants
The Maui Board of Realtors Presidential Scholarship has more than doubled this year in response to financial hardships after Sept. 11.The board will be accepting applications for its Presidential Scholarship through Monday.
This year, the scholarship money increased to $17,000 from $6,000 with the help of Realtors, affiliates and the community through a golf tournament, fashion show, candy sales and other events. About 12 to 15 scholarships will be awarded to Maui County high school seniors who demonstrate financial need, academic ability and community involvement.
Applications are available at Maui high schools or by calling the Maui Board of Realtors at 808-873-8585.
Dietitian to give talk on weight management
The Honolulu Medical Group is offering three free weight management courses Monday and March 18 and 24 in recognition of National Nutrition Month.Susan Fierro, registered dietitian, will teach the course from noon to 1 p.m. on those Mondays in the third-floor conference room at the Medical Group, 550 S. Beretania St.
She will cover three major areas involved in losing weight and keeping it off: behavior modification, exercise and nutrition.
The first course will look at the most common triggers and cues for eating and how to overcome the urge to overeat. The second will cover the importance and benefits of exercise, and the third will dispel myths of dieting and the truth of healthy eating.
Registration is required.
Call 537-2211, ext. 581, to reserve a seat or for further information.
Health education center seeks interested students
The Hawaii Area Health Education Center is looking for students from kindergarten to college who are considering health-care careers for their future.The center's goal is to improve the health of Hawaii's rural and underserved populations through education.
Recruiting specialist Kehau Bhattachryya has been visiting schools throughout the state to teach students about opportunities in health care for Hawaii's youth, through activities such as field trips to view research facilities on Oahu.
The center also collaborates with the Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network for development of health careers and biomedical research opportunities for students.
Information is also available on the center's Web site at www.ahec.hawaii.edu.
Students or teachers interested in using the free services can call 956-9761 for more information.
>> Lauren Quill and Carrie Yap have been named Hawaii's top two youth volunteers for 2002 by the Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The awards program, conducted by Prudential Financial and the National Association of Secondary School Principals, will present the two with $1,000 each, an engraved silver medallion and an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. Quill and Yap are also in the running for recognition as one of America's top youth volunteers for 2002. Taking Notice
>> The Samuel N. & Mary Castle Foundation has awarded an $18,000 grant to St. Andrew's Priory School. The money will be used for playground erosion control and improvements at Queen Emma Preschool.
>> Honolulu resident Vincent Domen has been awarded the Robert Campbell Foundation Scholarship for 2001-2002 at the University of North Dakota. Domen was awarded the scholarship on the basis of academic excellence.
>> Ronald K. Migita has been re-elected and installed as president of the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America. Other newly elected officers and board members include Alfred Fernandes Jr., council commissioner; Rodney R. Shinkawa, treasurer; Don E. Carroll, Clinton R. Churchill, Thomas P. Contrades, Roger Drue, Michael J. Fisch, Robert H. Jones, Benjamin Kudo, C. Dudley Pratt Jr., Helen Shirota-Benevides, Charles A. Sted, Alvin A. Tanaka and Franklin M. Tokioka, vice presidents; and Michael A. Carr, Michael E. Drace, Murray "Randy" Grune, Wayne T. Hikida, Neal K. Kanda, Richard E. Tanaka and Nonie M. Toledo, new board members.
|Do you have items about Hawaii residents earning academic or professional honors, winning scholarships, awards or elections to professional or civic groups? Please send them in writing for "Taking Notice" to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Managing Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffWest Oahu Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Motorcyclist allegedly forced off the road
A 43-year-old Ewa man was arrested for attempted murder yesterday for allegedly forcing a motorcyclist off the road.Police said a 40-year-old man was riding his motorcycle on Fort Weaver Road about 9:20 a.m. when he tried to pass a pickup truck in front of him.
The driver of the truck then swerved into the path of the motorcycle and struck it, police said. The motorcycle rider managed to remain upright but was struck again when the pickup truck swerved into him a second time, police said. Patrol officers arrested the truck driver at the corner of Fort Weaver Road and Old Fort Weaver Road.
The motorcyclist was taken to Queen's Medical Center with scratches and possible internal injuries. The motorcyclist was in guarded condition this morning.
East Oahu
3 victims identified in 2 Tuesday traffic accidents
The Honolulu Medical Examiner has identified the three people who died in two separate car accidents on Tuesday.Debralee Haunani Hodges, 43, of Waimanalo, died after she was struck by a pickup truck as she ran across Kalanianaole Highway near the Waimanalo Beach 7-Eleven Store.
Police are still investigating why Hodges ran across the roadway.
Frank Rodrigues, 80, and Daisy Rodrigues, 81, of Honolulu, died after their car crashed into a concrete wall in the Kapalama Post Office parking lot. They had just dropped off some mail when their compact sedan accelerated, jumped the sidewalk and crashed into the wall. Witnesses told police the couple had been arguing prior to the crash.
HONOLULU
Police seek suspect in Makiki sexual assault
CrimeStoppers and the Honolulu Police Department want the public's assistance in identifying a man who sexually assaulted a 23-year-old Makiki woman this week.
The incident took place at the victim's Kewalo Street apartment building at about 11 p.m. Monday.
Police said the suspect followed the victim into the secured apartment building as she was carrying her laundry. Police said when the victim opened her front door, the suspect pushed her into the apartment, where he sexually assaulted her.
Police said the suspect fled on foot.
He is described as in his late 20s, 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds, with brown hair and eyes, and a medium build.
Anyone with any information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Body of homeless man is found near Pier 18
Workers at Honolulu Harbor found the body of a homeless man a few feet off Nimitz Highway near Pier 18 at about 6:50 yesterday morning.Lt. Bill Kato, Honolulu Police Department homicide detail, said the man had a wound to his right arm but showed no other obvious injuries that could be responsible for his death.
The case has been classified as a miscellaneous unattended death pending the cause-of-death determination.
Man arrested for alleged attack on his ex-girlfriend
Police arrested a 31-year-old Ewa Beach man for allegedly entering his ex-girlfriend's Honolulu home on Saturday, covering her with a pillow and slashing her face with a steak knife.Police said during the attack, the man's 7-year-old daughter, who was sleeping with her mother, screamed, "Daddy, what are you doing?"
The 36-year-old woman told police she convinced her ex-boyfriend to leave, then called police from a friend's house. Police arrested the suspect in front of his parents' house in Ewa Beach.
WINDWARD Oahu
Kailua man, 25, arrested in alleged stabbing
A 25-year-old Kailua man was arrested last night after he allegedly stabbed another man in the arm with a large knife.Police said the suspect was sitting in his vehicle in front of a residence near the corner of Kihapai Street and Hoopuni Drive about 10:40 p.m.
Witnesses told police a 20-year-old man emerged from the residence after the suspect sounded his car horn several times. Police said the suspect then got out of his vehicle and chased the other man down the street with the knife. The victim either fell or was dragged to the ground where the suspect stabbed him, police said. The suspect then fled in his vehicle but returned a few minutes later where he was arrested by patrol officers. The victim was taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Big Isle officials probe $1.5 million fire in Kona
KEALAKEKUA, Hawaii >> Big Island fire officials said a fire caused $1.5 million in damage Tuesday to the Kona Self Storage facility in Kealakekua.One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation, and businesses and residents in the Kona Scenic subdivision were evacuated.
Firefighters were able to save an estimated $3.5 million in property, they said.
The fire started in a first-floor unit of the two-story structure. Investigators did not immediately find anything unusual about the contents of the unit, an official said. The cause was under investigation.
BACK TO TOP
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[The Courts]
Salt Lake man indicted for alleged bomb threat
A federal grand jury indicted a 29-year-old Salt Lake man yesterday, who allegedly made a false bomb threat that delayed the Feb. 8 departure of China Airlines Flight 017 from Honolulu Airport."(Clayton) Yip had a grudge against two individuals that he knew to be flying on a China Airlines flight," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Sorenson.
On Feb. 8, Yip allegedly called 911 and the FBI's Honolulu office to report two Vietnamese terrorists with explosive devices would blow up the plane and themselves, Sorenson said.
The plane was evacuated, and those individuals Yip indicated were searched, Sorenson said.
The FBI's investigation led to Yip's arrest last Friday. The passengers who were searched pinpointed Yip. FBI agents also did a comparative voice analysis of the Feb. 8 calls.
Yip faces a maximum of five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Halawa inmate indicted for threatening letter
A Halawa Correctional Facility inmate was indicted yesterday by a federal grand jury for threatening to bomb the U.S. District Courthouse on Dec. 17, 2000.Isaac Dwayne Akau allegedly sent the threatening letter to which he signed his name and also wrote the Halawa return address on the envelope.
Akau is charged with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction, which carries penalties as severe as life in prison.
He is also charged with using the U.S. mail to threaten to damage and destroy a building, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Kailua-Kona corporation faces excise tax charges
A Hilo grand jury indicted a Kailua-Kona corporation doing business as a medical services provider for failing to file its annual general excise tax returns for 1997 through 2000.The corporation, Joy A. McElroy M.D. Inc., and Loi Chang-Strohman, who as vice president was the person responsible for filing the annual returns, were charged.
Chang-Strohman faces a maximum penalty of $25,000 and imprisonment of one year. The corporation faces a maximum fine of $100,000 for each year.
