Man will stand trial in fatal stabbing of wife
A 52-year-old Kalihi man accused of stabbing his wife to death nearly a year ago will stand trial Jan. 27.Circuit Judge Dan Kochi ruled earlier this week that Florencio Garperio, a former cook who had lost his job, was fit to stand trial and assist in his defense.
Garperio was charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing his wife, Mercy, at their Kalihi home. If convicted, he faces life with the possibility of parole.
School enrollment drops slightly in state
Hawaii's public school enrollment has dropped slightly this school year, but the number of special-education students rose, officials said yesterday.There are 182,798 students enrolled in the 2002-03 school year, down 831 students, or 0.45 percent from last year.
Special-education enrollment grew by 2.4 percent, or 488 students, to 20,808 this year. That's nearly double the 11,356 special-education students enrolled 10 years ago.
The enrollment at the 41 schools in the Leeward Oahu District grew by 1.53 percent to 38,250, which is 578 more than last year.
All other districts declined in enrollment.
The largest public school in the state is Farrington High School in Honolulu with 2,421 students.
The smallest is Maui's Kanae Elementary, which doubled its enrollment this year to six students.
Kipapa Gulch slide an isolated incident
The rockslide that closed Kamehameha Highway at Kipapa Gulch on Thursday night appears to have been an isolated incident, a state geologist determined after surveying the area yesterday.The slide, which happened on the Mililani side of the Kipapa Gulch bridge about 9 p.m. Thursday, spilled debris onto the road, blocking traffic until 2 a.m. yesterday, according to the state Department of Transportation.
One large rock broke through protective netting and bounced over a chain-link fence into the northbound lanes of the highway.
Highway maintenance crews cleared the rubble off the road and repaired the fence and protective netting by 1 p.m.
The Transportation Department said the stretch of Kamehameha Highway is among the areas being studied for a rockfall mitigation plan for Oahu.
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Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Help sought in finding missing 7-year-old girl
The Missing Child Center Hawaii and Big Island police are trying to locate a 7-year-old girl from Indonesia who has been missing since last December.State officials said Sita Elexa Burgess was allegedly taken by her noncustodial father, Alexander Burgess, from a school in Duri, Indonesia. Both are now believed to be on Oahu or the Big Island, and a warrant was issued for Burgess's arrest last week.
State officials said Burgess may attempt to leave Hawaii to take his daughter to the mainland or a foreign country. A more detailed description of Sita and Alexander Burgess is available online at launch.hgea.org/HSC.
Anyone with any information about this case or the location of Sita or her father are asked to call either Hilo Detective John Ancheta at 961-2254 or the Missing Child Center at 586-1449.
Big Isle effort destroys 4,629 pakalolo plants
Big Island police officers destroyed a total of 4,629 marijuana plants during a five-day eradication effort that ended yesterday.Police said the plants ranged in height from seedlings to 8 feet and were growing in 155 separate plots in the districts of Puna, North and South Hilo, Hamakua, and North and South Kohala. Police reported no arrests or major incidents during the eradication effort.
Personnel from the Honolulu and Maui police departments, the Hawaii National Guard and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration joined Big Island police officers during the operation.
Last month, Hilo vice section officers destroyed a total of 12,418 marijuana plants ranging in height from seedlings to 10 feet on 675 separate plots during a five-day eradication effort in East Hawaii that ended Aug. 23.
