Suspect still sought in assault on officer
Police continued searching this morning for a man who stole a police officer's sport utility vehicle and tried to run him over in Whitmore Village last night.Police said the officer stopped a motorist who speeding and was issuing him a traffic ticket about 6 p.m. when the incident began at Uakanikoo Place and Uakanikoo Street.
The officer, suspecting the man was driving a stolen car, asked him to get out of the car. The officer tried to arrest him, and a struggle ensued.
The man got back into his car and sped off, injuring the officer as he fled. He abandoned the car, in which drugs were found later, after he was trapped in a cul-de-sac.
The officer ran after the man, but he then jumped into the officer's vehicle and began driving toward the officer, police said. The officer then fired at the suspect, and the bullets struck the police vehicle.
The man drove off in the SUV, which was later found on Waipahu Street, police said.
The officer was taken to Queen's Medical Center in stable condition with leg injuries. He was treated and released last night.
The suspect was described as in his 30s, slender, clean-cut, with a dark complexion.
Waipahu sewage spill totals 1,200 gallons
City officials estimate that 1,200 gallons of raw sewage spilled from a manhole cover yesterday morning near 94-054 Awamoku St. in Waipahu. The cause of the spill was determined to be grease, roots and other debris clogging an 8-inch sewer main.City crews cleaned and deodorized the spill area, which city officials said was not accessible to the public. City officials said the state Department of Health was notified of the spill.
Toguchi to rejoin Board of Education
The governor has appointed Garrett M. Toguchi to rejoin the Board of Education to fill the vacancy left by Donna Ikeda's resignation.Toguchi served on the board from 1996 to 2000. While on the board, he was chairman of the Special Programs Committee and oversaw special-education, gifted and talented, and Hawaiian studies programs.
Toguchi is executive director of the Arc in Hawaii. He is also director of the Japanese American Citizens League, a member of the Honolulu Japanese Junior Chamber of Commerce and Hawaii Jaycees.
"I am confident Garrett Toguchi will contribute significantly as a member of the state Board of Education," said Gov. Ben Cayetano in a statement yesterday. "His background and earlier experience on the board will allow him to be a positive advocate for Hawaii's schools system."
Toguchi's term expires Nov. 5, the date of the general election. Ikeda resigned to run for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.
Big Isle symposium focuses on telescopes
The latest developments in space and ground-based telescopes and specialized optics will be discussed and exhibited at an International Society for Optical Engineering symposium Aug. 22-28 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Hotel.The organization expects about 2,400 delegates at the symposium, entitled "Power Telescopes and Instrumentation into the New Millennium." Twenty-eight conferences are planned covering ground instruments and large telescopes, astronomy, information technologies, space telescopes and instruments, millimeter and submillimeter detectors and other topics.
For more information, visit spie.org/info/as.
Hina Mauka receives 3-year accreditation
Hina Mauka's alcohol and drug programs have been accredited for three years by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.This is the second consecutive three-year accreditation awarded to the nonprofit organization by the commission. The accreditation applies to Hina Mauka's day treatment, outpatient and residential treatment, criminal justice day and outpatient treatment, and outpatient children and adolescents programs.
M.P. "Andy" Anderson, chief executive officer of Hina Mauka, said the organization went through a rigorous peer review process and demonstrated the quality of its programs and services to a team of on-site surveyors.
Supreme Court seeks 2 for shorthand board
The Supreme Court of Hawaii is seeking two certified shorthand reporters to serve on the Hawaii Board of Certified Shorthand Reporters.The two positions are unpaid and the terms begin Oct. 30. One position must be filled by a court-employed reporter, while the other must be filled by a reporter not employed by the court. Applications or nominations must be submitted by Aug. 31 to the Judiciary Public Affairs office, 417 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813.
Applications should include a brief biography or resume with current employment information and at least two references. The nominee's consent must be included if the application is for a nominee.
The six-member board examines applicants for certifications as shorthand reporters, and proposes rules and regulations for testing, licensing, standards, revocation of certification and other matters. The members serve staggered three-year terms.
Hospice Hawaii offers to train volunteers
Hospice Hawaii is seeking volunteers to provide comfort and support to terminally ill patients and their families.A free 20-hour training program must be completed by prospective volunteers. The next training programs are scheduled as follows at the Hospice Hawaii office, 860 Iwilei Road: Aug. 21, 6 to 10 p.m.; Aug. 24, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sept. 7, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Judy Winner, volunteer services director, said volunteers are vital to the organization's mission to care for patients facing the end of their lives.
"By sharing their time and themselves, they help the patients and families we serve to live fuller lives."
Volunteers also learn the importance of comfort for terminally ill people and families, and many benefit with life-affirming lessons, Winner said.
To volunteer and sign up for the training, call Caroline Odo of the Volunteer Department, 924-9255.
City wins $1.3 million for youth training
SAN FRANCISCO >> The City and County of Honolulu has been awarded $1.3 million in federal funds for a demonstration project aimed at helping young offenders, gang members and others, according to the U.S. Labor Department announced yesterday.The funding is part of more than $31 million awarded nationally by the federal Department of Labor through a multiyear program known as the Youth Offender Demonstration Project, the agency said in a news release last month.
The project is designed to provide preparation and training to help young offenders and other "at-risk youth" develop skills they need to secure long-term jobs. Honolulu was one of 29 grantees nationwide, the Labor Department said.
Tax hikes get initial OK from Big Isle Council
HILO >> The Hawaii County Council has given preliminary approval to another in a series of tax increases.The bill, approved last week, would raise the minimum property tax for people living in their homes from the current $25 to a series of higher amounts, $50, $75 or $100, depending on the value of the resident's home. It is the same as the measure passed by the council in November for most types of property. An exception was carved out at the time for the "homeowners" class.
That exception would be ended if the current bill is approved by one more Council vote and gets the signature of Mayor Harry Kim, who requested the increase.
The change will affect about 7,000 homeowners.
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[ TAKING NOTICE ] Academic honors
>> Teen Ink, a national monthly magazine written by teenagers, has awarded Danny Clark, an English teacher at the Kamehameha Secondary School, one of its Ninth Annual Educator of the Year prizes. Student Kanani Montez wrote the winning essay nominating a teacher who made a difference.>> Michael J. Taleff, coordinator for the Alcohol Drug Education Program at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, has been selected editor for the Journal of Teaching in the Addiction. It is the official journal of the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education.
>> Kurt Y. Nakamura of Hilo High School has received the 2001 Hawaii Venture Capital Deal of the Year Award scholarship from Junior Achievement of Hawaii Inc. Nakamura will pursue a degree in business management, entrepreneurship and engineering at the University of Southern California.
>> The Charles R. Kendall Scholarship and Education Fund has awarded $20,000 in scholarships to 26 Hawaii Government Employees Association members or their dependents for the 2002-2003 school year.
Recipients of the $1,200 awards are Jennifer L. Ah-Kee and Tanya K. Morimoto of Maui; AnnaMarie L. Alfiler, Steven C. Lee, Fiona G. McNeill, Kathryn K. Nishimura and Tammy K. Young, Oahu; Andrea N. Brower, Kauai; and Malia A. Hamilton and Brian K. Matsu Jr., Hawaii.
Winners of the $500 awards include Kristina M. Andrade, Chelsea E. DeLuz, Rose Marie H. Justo and Trista L. Velez of Hawaii; Adeline R. Del Rosario, Margo H. Hartford, Lori M. Kajiyama, Lynn N. Kajiyama, Andrew S. Kamikawa, Sherry M.P. Kho, Heather Y. Kihara, Kevin F. Leong, Justin K. Swafford, Tasha N. Valenzuela and Rena S.H. Kido of Oahu; and Chad K. Shibuya of Kauai.
>> Market City Foundation has awarded 10 $1,000 scholarships to outstanding graduating seniors. The recipients are Peter Sho-Yao Chang, Diem Phue Thi Huynh, Stephanie Ka Yi Lee, Jane Yuh-Chi Lin, Kristen Mariko Murashige, Nhan Minh Nguyen and Casey Piedra of Kaimuki High School; Joshua J. Smith, Kalani; and Nikki-Ann Galutria Guevarra and Monita Pang, Sacred Hearts Academy.
>> Edward G. Ruby and Margaret McFall-Ngai, professors and researchers at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Pacific Biomedical Research Center, have been elected to the Fellowship in the American Academy of Microbiology.
>> Malia Ana Rivera, a University of Hawaii graduate from Kaneohe, has been awarded the prestigious Knauss Fellowship by the National Sea Grant Office. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of California-Berkeley and a research specialist at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology on Moku-o-Lo'e.
>> Evette A. Bass of Waianae High School has been recognized as an All-American Scholar in the field of science by the United States Achievement Academy Official Yearbook, published nationally.
>> The Beverly Gannon Awards for Women in the Culinary Arts have been presented to Sheena Bangasan, Rowelyn Baysa, Sally Cool and Kiyo Nagasawa of Maui Community College. Gannon also gave the college an additional $3,000 to support scholarship awards for the next school year.
>> Patricia Anne Tom of Honolulu, managing editor of Waste Age magazine, has been named one of five national scholarship winners of the American Society of Business Publication Editors awards.
>> The Hawaii chapter of the American Guild of Organists has awarded organ lesson scholarships for 2003 fiscal year to Patti Ikeda, Melissa K. Spence and Marie Wang.
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>> Rankings of morning radio shows in a story on Page C2 Tuesday reflected audience among adults aged 25 to 54. The demographic was not specified. 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.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
LEEWARD OAHU
Car knocks man over bridge railing
A 33-year-old Waipahu man, struck by a car and thrown over a bridge railing while walking on Moanalua Road yesterday, remained in critical condition at Queen's Medical Center this morning.The accident occurred in Salt Lake at the intersection of Moanalua Road and Ala Aolani Street at about 8:30 a.m., police said.
The man was hit by a white Volvo driven by a 70-year-old Hawaii Kai woman.
The woman was heading northbound on Moanalua Road and crossed a solid line into a merge lane and struck a Ford Taurus driven by a 40-year-old Waimanalo man, police said.
The Volvo struck the curbing, climbed onto the sidewalk and hit the man, sending him flying over the railing. He fell to an embankment about 10 to 15 feet below, police said.
He was taken to Queen's in critical condition with head and other injuries.
Police said the weather was cloudy and rainy at the time of the accident.
Off-duty cop defuses gun-wielding incident
Police arrested a man who allegedly pointed a gun at his ex-girlfriend and others over the weekend.Police said an off-duty officer accompanied a woman who was going to gather her things from a Leolua Street apartment in Waipahu on Sunday when her ex-boyfriend appeared from a back room pointing a loaded gun. Police said the victim was with her daughters and friends at the time.
The off-duty officer, who was standing in the doorway at the time, identified himself and ordered the suspect to put his gun down, police said. The suspect complied and was arrested for burglary, terroristic threatening, violating a restraining order and a firearm offense.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Hit-and-run fatality still not identified
WAILUKU >> Maui police are asking the public's help in finding a late-model, silver-colored Toyota 4Runner (similar to one pictured at right) that may have been involved early Sunday in a fatal hit-and-run accident in Kaanapali.Police Lt. Charles Hirata said the vehicle is missing the driver's-side headlight and turn signal and may have damage to the driver's-side front fender.
Police said the vehicle hit a man walking along Honoapiilani Highway near Puukolii Road about 2:10 a.m.
Investigators are still attempting to identify the victim, who was described as slim and between 40 and 60 years old. He was wearing red nylon shoes and a black baseball cap with the logo "Moondoggy's."
Anyone with information is asked to call the Maui Police Department's Traffic Section at 244-6344.
Pair nabbed by police in Thursday stakeout
Big Island police arrested and charged two men in connection with a rash of car break-ins and home burglaries in North Kona last week.Police charged Jimli Vergara, 24, of Kailua-Kona with 16 counts of theft, 12 counts of unlawful entry into a motor vehicle, two counts of burglary and two drug offenses.
Police also charged Onofre Rabang, 31, of Kailua-Kona with six counts of theft, four counts of unlawful entry into motor vehicles and two counts of burglary.
Bail for Vergara was set at $52,000, and bail for Rabang was set at $22,500.
Police said they caught both men during a stakeout Thursday after they received a report of a car break-in at the Nani Ohai subdivision off Hualalai Road. Responding officers were initially unable to locate anyone but later saw two males walking south on Hienaloli Road. Police said that as the officers approached the two males, the subjects tried to get rid of items they were carrying.
Both suspects were arrested and their car searched. Inside the suspect vehicle, police recovered items from other thefts, including numerous credit and identification cards, police said.
WINDWARD OAHU
Police hunt man for threatening sister
Police are looking for a man, 44, who allegedly threatened his sister, 40, at knifepoint last night about her poor housekeeping.He fled afterward. The sister suffered minor injuries but police said the cause of her injuries could not be determined immediately.
HONOLULU
Man tries to bail out friend with fake bills
Honolulu police have arrested a 23-year-old man who allegedly tried to bail a friend out of jail using counterfeit money.Police said the suspect approached officers at the central receiving desk at the Honolulu Police Department headquarters at 801 Beretania St. at 7:10 p.m. Friday with bail money for his friend. While the booking officer was verifying the amount, it was discovered that two of the bills were counterfeit. Police then arrested the suspect for first-degree forgery.
