'Click it' campaign cites 3,781 seat-belt violators
Police issued 3,781 citations for seat-belt violations during the first 12 days of the "Click It or Ticket" campaign.From Monday through Friday of last week, the four county police departments issued 1,823 tickets: Big Island police issued 343 citations, Honolulu police cited 983 drivers, Kauai police issued 302 citations, and Maui police ticketed 195 motorists.
Hawaii's seat-belt law requires drivers and passengers in the front seat as well as back-seat passengers who are under 18 to be buckled up. In addition, children under four years old must be in a child safety seat in the back seat. Violators can be fined $67.
The "Click It or Ticket" campaign is funded by a grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The last day of the campaign is Thursday.
Box jellyfish warnings in effect across island
The Ocean Safety Division has issued an island-wide box jellyfish warning for today, tomorrow and Thursday.Commonly affected areas include Ala Moana Beach Park, Waikiki Beach, Hanauma Bay, Pokai Bay and Makaha Beach.
Lifeguards may post warning signs on beaches if warranted.
Those stung by box jellyfish should flush the sting area with white vinegar or seek aid at a lifeguard station, as severe allergic reactions to box jellyfish stings can result in death.
Meeting set to discuss Mililani fine arts center
A meeting will be held today at the Mililani Castle & Cooke Sales Office to discuss plans to open a performing and fine arts center in Central Oahu.The session, to be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at 95-1091 Ainamakua Drive, is the second in a series of three.
Design plans for the Oahu Arts Center include a performing arts auditorium and an arts education center.
Castle & Cooke Hawaii donated three acres adjacent to Mililani Mauka Middle School for the proposed center.
The center's planning group currently has more than 40 members.
Fund raising for the estimated $12 million-$15 million center is under way.
Another planning meeting will be held on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Mililani Town Association Recreation Center No. 6 at 95-1101 Ainamakua Drive in Rooms 2 and 3.
Both meetings are free and open to the public.
For more information on the center's planning, contact Edmund Aczon at 848-7632.
HPD's recruit graduation is set for Thursday night
Thirty men and three women of the Honolulu Police Department's 140th recruit class will graduate Thursday night at the Hawaii Okinawa Center.Ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
2 bodies of Vietnam vets are being returned home
WASHINGTON >> The remains of two Air Force men killed in the Vietnam War have been identified and are being returned home to their families, the Defense Department said yesterday.Master Sgt. Thomas E. Heideman and Capt. Craig B. Schiele, both of Chicago, were crew members of a helicopter that crashed in the Laotian jungle on Oct. 24, 1970. A rescue mission the next day found no evidence of survivors, the Pentagon said.
In 1995 the remains were recovered during an excavation of the crash site and taken to the Army's Central Identification Laboratory at Hickam Air Force Base where they were identified as those of Schiele and Heideman.
They will be buried on Friday with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
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>> Waianae Hongwanji Mission will hold its bon dance at 7:30 p.m. July 20. Pearl City Hongwanji Mission will hold services and bon dances at 6:30 p.m. July 26 and 27. The dates were incorrectly given in a Saturday calendar. A weekly bon dance calendar will be carried in the Weekend section each Friday. Corrections and clarifications
>> A photo caption in the Keeping Faith section Saturday incorrectly identified the Rev. Vaughn Beckman, a Protestant minister, as a priest. Also, Beckman said two Palestinians attended a May 21 Friends of Sabeel meeting instead of one as reported in the "View from the Pew" column.
>> Gene Cajayon, director and producer of the Filipino-American film "The Debut," created a 10-minute film in 1992 as his thesis at Loyola Marymount University. A Page D1 story yesterday gave the wrong year.
>> Hawaii gasoline taxes are 36.4 cents a gallon, the highest in the nation, followed by Connecticut (31.5 cents) and Nevada (33 cents). Sunday's "Talk Story" column in Insight incorrectly reported that Hawaii gasoline taxes are lower than those of 37 states.
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.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Firefighters try to control Volcanoes Park flare-ups
Firefighters today plan to continue fire control measures to prevent flare-ups of the wildfire at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that has scorched 3,660 acres since last month.Mainland and local firefighters will continue to clear a fire control line by hand around the perimeter of the burn area, officials said. They will cut down smoldering trees and extinguish any hot spots. Four helicopters also will drop water and foam in the area.
"We want to especially secure the west side of the burn area so it won't flare up again and carry fire to the (nearby) pristine native ohia-lehua rain forest," a park service spokesman said.
Recent light rain has given firefighters a helping hand, and no new acres have burned in the past 48 hours, officials said last night. The wildfire was ignited May 17 by lava flowing from Kilauea Volcano.
Big Isle suspect given to feds for firearms charges
Big Island police have turned a suspect in a domestic abuse case over to federal agents for prosecution on a firearms charge.On May 26, police received a report from an adult female that she had been physically abused by her 60-year-old boyfriend at their Pahala residence in Kau.
Police learned that the boyfriend was a convicted felon, making it illegal for him to possess firearms.
Officers found the boyfriend's truck and noticed the butt of a rifle on the front seat, police said.
Using a warrant, police recovered a loaded Ruger Mini-14 rifle with a 30-round clip, they said.
Police arrested the suspect on Wednesday on one count of abuse of a family or household member, two counts of prohibited ownership of a firearm and one count of illegal place to keep firearms.
In response to the Project Safety Neighborhood Act regarding federal firearms laws, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms were notified and the suspect placed in their custody.
Kona police seek help in 4-year-old murder case
Kona police are again asking for information in solving the 1998 disappearance of Michele Gloria Adam who is believed to have been murdered.Adam's husband, Richard, who now lives in Lancaster, N.H., last saw her when she drove away from their Milolii Beach Lots home on June 17, 1998. Two days later her car, a 1997 Toyota Celica, was found parked at the couple's other home at the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates in Ka'u.
In January 1999, detectives reclassified her disappearance from a missing person case to a murder case. Adam, who was 36, was described as 5 feet 1 inch, 85 pounds, with brown eyes, and long, straight brown hair. Anyone with information is asked to call Kona police at 326-4646 or 935-3311.
HONOLULU
HPD asks help in finding violin taken from car
Police are asking for the public's help in locating a "priceless" violin that was stolen from a parked vehicle in Salt Lake over the weekend.The violin belongs to a Honolulu Symphony member who left his vehicle at the Country Club Village's parking structure on Ala Napunani Street Friday night. The following morning, the violinist discovered someone had broken into the vehicle and taken the violin. The instrument is an 1832 violin made by Olry, police said. Its wood is dark brown with a Morizot brown-colored bow. It was in a black nylon carrying case with a Honolulu Symphony identification card attached to it.
Stereo equipment, 80 CDs, an ashtray full of change and parts also were stolen. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
Autopsy set for baby who died on flight to Hawaii
The Honolulu Medical Examiner was scheduled to perform an autopsy today on a one-month-old boy who died yesterday on a flight from Alaska to Hawaii.The infant's 20-year-old mother told police she tried to feed him after he started crying about 11 a.m. The baby stopped breathing after she took him to the bathroom to change his diaper, she reported.
An off-duty paramedic on the flight administered CPR, and later the infant was taken by ambulance to Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center where he later was pronounced dead.
