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Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Joshua and Kayla top isles' popular baby names

The most popular names for newborns in Hawaii last year were Joshua for boys and Kayla for girls, the U.S. Social Security Administration announced yesterday.

Rounding out Hawaii's top five names for girls were Taylor, Madison, Alyssa and Sarah.

For boys they were Jacob, Matthew, Noah and Elijah.

Nationwide, the name Jacob topped the boys' list for the third straight year -- a spot held by the name Michael each year from 1964 to 1998.

Last year, Michael came in second, followed by Matthew, Joshua, Christopher, Nicholas, Andrew, Joseph, Daniel and William.

Emily, which has been the most popular girl's name since 1995, was followed by Madison, Hannah, Ashley, Alexis, Samantha, Sarah, Abigail, Elizabeth and Jessica.

A list of the 1,000 most popular baby names for 2001 is available online at www.ssa.gov.

Star-Bulletin publisher to speak to breakfast club

Don Kendall, president of Oahu Publications, will speak at the East Oahu Breakfast Club's meeting Tuesday at Hawaii Kai Golf Course, which starts at 7 a.m.

As publisher of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and MidWeek, Kendall will discuss the latest developments with the new Star-Bulletin.

Kendall has been in the newspaper industry for 27 years and received the Silver Quill from the Canadian Newspaper Association for 25 years of distinguished service. He was president of the British Columbia Yukon Community Newspaper Association. He became a Rotary "Paul Harris Fellow" in 2000 and was awarded an honorary lifetime membership by the Kalamalka Rotary Club when he resigned to move to Hawaii.

The cost is $8 for members and $10 for nonmembers. Call Tim at 395-7940 for reservations.

Maui woman indicted in welfare fraud and theft

WAILUKU >> A woman who allegedly collected more than $96,000 in welfare overpayments has been indicted in what is believed to be Maui County's largest welfare fraud case.

Malisa L. Copperfield, 24, of Wailuku, was indicted on charges of welfare fraud and first-degree theft.

Deputy Prosecutor John Tam said Copperfield, who has five children, collected $96,777 in overpayments from September 1996 to October 2001.

"To my knowledge, this is the largest welfare fraud case that we have ever had in the County of Maui," Tam said yesterday.

George Washington school marks 75th year

President George Washington Middle School is celebrating its 75th anniversary today from 4 to 8 p.m. in the school's center courtyard.

The anniversary of Oahu's first public intermediate school is being held in conjunction with the annual Ohana Family Night, with entertainment, door prizes and an $8 dinner of kalua pig, beef stew, lomi lomi salmon, pineapple and more.

Dinner will be served in the cafeteria from 5 to 6:30 p.m.

Alumni, parents, students and the public are invited to attend.

The school opened in February 1926, and counts among its former students U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D, Hawaii) and entertainers Carole Kai, Gabe Baltazar and pro-wrestler Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

Donations are welcome to the 75th Anniversary Technology Fund. Checks may be made payable to Washington School Ohana -- 75th Anniversary.

Fair tomorrow promotes bicycle safety for kids

A Kids Right to Bike Rally and Safe Keiki Fair will be held from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow at Aliiolani Elementary School in Kaimuki.

The Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition/SAFE KIDS Hawaii has joined with the state Department of Health, Hawaii Medical Service Association, Honolulu Police Department, Consumer Product Safety Commission and Pacific Sports Care to sponsor the event.

Kids will learn basic bicycle safety principles, including the importance and proper use of helmets, and get hands-on experience in how to ride safely. They'll also learn about Hawaii's biking laws.

National SAFE KIDS Week is being observed this week, with focus on preventing traumatic brain injuries, which kill or seriously injure thousands of children nationwide each year, according to the Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition.

An average of 40 youths are hospitalized in Hawaii each year because of bicycle crashes, at an average cost of $10,000 per injury, it said.

Part of Moanalua Freeway shut to remove suspicious pipe

Honolulu police shut down the Moanalua Freeway near the Middle Street merge at about 10 a.m. to remove a suspicious piece of pipe from the road.

Motorists reported seeing the pipe on the freeway at about 9:15 a.m. As a precaution, police decided to shut down the east-bound and later the west-bound lanes of the freeway at about 10 a.m. while a robotic device was used to remove to pipe.

Police were to examine it to determine if it was a pipe bomb.

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Corrections and clarifications 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.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers

CENTRAL OAHU

Victim hit by car ID'd as Raymond Melley, 31

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man who died after being struck by a car on near Wheeler Army Airfield Wednesday night as Raymond Melley, 31, of Wahiawa.

Police said Melley was on Kamehameha Highway just north of the Leilehua Golf Course Road junction when he was struck by a car heading toward Wahiawa. He was not in a crosswalk.

Police are trying to determine whether Melley attempting to cross the highway or was sitting or lying on the roadway when he was hit.

WAIKIKI

Korean visitor drowns in waters off Kuhio Beach

An unidentified Korean tourist drowned yesterday afternoon in waters off Kuhio Beach, according to Honolulu fire officials.

The victim was found floating motionless by a bodyboarder before 4:16 p.m.

Fire officials said the victim was located less than 200 feet from shore on the Diamond Head side of the rock wall near the beach volleyball courts.

Fire officials said a woman later recognized the victim as being part of the same tour group as she was and said he was staying at the Park Shore Hotel.

Fire officials said the victim appeared to have been swimming alone.

WINDWARD OAHU

Passenger killed in crash ID'd as Kaneohe woman

The woman killed in a head-on collision near Valley of the Temples Memorial Park on Apr. 22 has been identified as Annette Muranaka, 52, of Kaneohe, the medical examiner's office said.

Muranaka was the front-seat passenger of a car heading north on Kahekili Highway when a pickup truck traveling in the opposite direction crossed into the car's lane. She was taken to Castle Medical Center in critical condition where she later died.

Man, 52, held for allegedly punching Laie boy, 17

A 52-year-old Laie man was arrested last night for allegedly entering the home of a 17-year-old boy and punching him in the face.

Police said the man went to the boy's Puuahi Street home in Laie about 9 p.m. after he discovered the boy was hijacking his son.

The boy received minor injuries, including a bloody nose. The man left the boy's residence but was later located and arrested without incident for burglary.