Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin Staff

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[ TAKING NOTICE ]

EPA honors individuals
and groups in Hawaii

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Hawaii organizations and individuals have been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their efforts to protect and preserve the environment in 2002.

>> Linda Lewis, Ronnie Lanier and Jim Tayon, for implementing a purchasing program at Hickam Air Force Base that established preferences of more than 50 recycled products ranging from re-refined oil to recycled paper products.

>> Suzanne Jones, City and County of Honolulu; Gretchen Ammerman, state Department of Health; Jeff Mikulina, Sierra Club; and state Rep. Hermina Morita (D, Hanalei-Kapaa), for their roles in Hawaii's adoption of the "bottle bill." The bill will charge a 5-cent deposit on most beverage cans and bottles beginning in 2005. Consumers turning in containers for recycling will get the money back.

>> Kualapuu School, of Molokai, for its PRISM program (Providing Resolutions with Integrity for a Sustainable Molokai). Students researched environmental issues and provided curbside recycling services for three areas of the island and their school, among other efforts.

>> 'Ohi'a Productions, of Aiea, for its Educational Road Shows Program, which sends troupes of actors to schools and events to educate audiences on key environmental issues through singing, dancing and puppetry.

>> John McHugh and Lynn Constanides, of Crop Care Hawaii in Aiea, for providing training in pesticide use for independent farmers for whom English is not a first language.

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Residents may share in cancer drug settlement

Islanders who purchased the cancer-fighting drug Taxol or its generic equivalent between Jan. 1, 1999, and last Feb. 28 may be entitled to some compensation.

State Attorney General Mark Bennett announced a settlement Tuesday with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. resolving an antitrust lawsuit involving Taxol.

Hawaii joined with 49 states and U.S. territories in the lawsuit, alleging Bristol unlawfully blocked less expensive generic alternatives to Taxol from getting into the marketplace.

Bristol agreed to pay $55 million to settle the states' claims for damages, penalties and consumer compensation.

Bristol also agreed to provide free quantities of Taxol to Drug Enforcement Administration-approved health care facilities to help recipients who meet certain requirements.

Bennett said the settlement is significant because it will compensate consumers and the state for overpaying for the drug and enable eligible patients to obtain the drug free.

If the settlement is approved, a claims administration process will be established for consumers.

The attorneys general have proposed to set aside more than $12 million for consumer payments.

More than $37 million has been proposed to repay governmental entities that purchased Taxol or its generic equivalent.

Day-long hoolaulea scheduled in Kailua

The legends and history of Kawainui Marsh and the Kailua ahupuaa will be celebrated Saturday with a day-long hoolaulea at Ulupo Heiau.

There will be demonstrations of poi making, lomilomi massage, Hawaiian medicinal herbs usage, native plant cultivation, kapa making, stone tool making, Hawaiian games, hula, chanting and short tours of Kawainui Marsh. Books about the area and imu-cooked plate lunches will be for sale.

"Old-time" families who used to live in Kailua are encouraged to attend and "reminisce about the past," said organizer Chuck Burrows.

An archeologist who has researched the Kawainui Mahele land grants will share her research.

The event, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is sponsored by the Kailua Hawaiian Civic Club and co-sponsored by Pa Ku'i A Holo, Kawai Nui Heritage Foundation and Ahahui Malama I ka Lokahi.

Parking is available at Kailua Methodist Church, 1110 Kailua Road.

For information, call Chuck Burrows, 595-3922; Marvelle Laughlin, 259-7571; or Martha Yent, 587-0287.

War veteran to speak at Japanese Center

A World War II veteran who was wounded while fighting with the 100th Infantry Division will be the guest presenter at the seventh biannual forum of the Universal Values for a Democratic Society-Nisei Veterans Endowed Forum Series.

The forum, "Overcoming Adversity," will be held next Thursday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii at 2454 S. Beretania St. It is sponsored by the Colleges of Arts & Sciences at the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

Kenneth Otagaki raised five children with his wife, Janet, and earned a doctorate degree in animal science. He also served in the Cabinet of Gov. John Burns.

The forum will also feature students who have participated in the 2003 Values for Life Essay Contest. Winners will be announced, and each student will read their prize-winning essay.

The forum is open to the public. A boxed lunch and beverage will be available for $7. Parking is available for $2 with validation.

Call Tamara Goldbogen by Monday at 956-5790 to RSVP or to place a lunch order.

Orthodontists to meet at convention center

More than 17,000 American Association of Orthodontists members and guests are expected to attend its annual convention tomorrow through Tuesday at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

Dr. James Gjerset, association president, said the center's opening made it possible to choose Hawaii for the organization's 103rd annual session.

It will be the third-largest convention held at the center since 20,000 people met here in 2000 from the International Association of Lion Clubs, according to the center.

Hawaii orthodontists and staff members will attend the sessions with orthodontists, dentists, students, technicians and suppliers from the United States, Canada and other countries. The St. Louis-based association has more than 14,600 members.

Waipahu Filipino fest features floral parade

Adaptation of traditional Filipino street pageantry and floral procession will be part of the "Festival of Flowers" Saturday at Hawaii's Plantation Village in Waipahu.

Young girls dressed in white with baskets of flowers will participate in the floral procession winding through the plantation village -- an adaptation of "Flores de Mayo" that has religious roots based on the Roman Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary.

The "Santacruzan," a street pageantry usually held in May throughout the Philippines, commemorates the search for the Holy Cross by Queen Helena (Reina Elena) and her son, the newly converted Emperor Constantine.

The reigning Miss Hawaii Filipina will participate as "Reina Elena," and Miss Teen Hawaii Filipina will be "Reina de las Flores."

Lectures, a plant sale, coconut weaving, lei making, other craft demonstrations, children's games and multiethnic entertainment will be among the events.

The lectures will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, and the cultural program will be held from 1 to 4 p.m.

The lectures will include "Philippine Flowers for Social Occasions," by Tessie Amore; "Panabenga: Baguio's Flower Festival," by Carolyn Weygan Hildebrand; and "Ikebana," by Bessie Fooks.

The village is located at 94-695 Waipahu St. on a 50-acre site below Waipahu's historic sugar mill. For more information, call 677-0110 or see the Web site hawaiiplantationvillage.org.

Cinco de Mayo vegan celebration in Nuuanu

The Vegetarian Society of Hawaii will celebrate Cino de Mayo from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday with a special vegan dinner at Govinda's Restaurant, 50 Coelho Way in Nuuanu.

For the menu and reservations, call 753-7068 or 595-7369. The cost is $12 per person.

Man indicted in falsification of consent note

A federal grand jury indicted a 39-year-old man for allegedly lying while applying for a passport for his 4-year-old daughter.

Federal prosecutors said Eric Shang Oi Luk provided a written letter of consent purportedly from his former wife, Susan Luk, the child's mother. However, prosecutors said Susan Luk denied ever signing or seeing such a letter and that she was not aware that her daughter had applied for and received a passport.

Because of recent child abduction cases to foreign countries, federal law now requires both parents to sign a passport application for a child under 14 years of age. If only one parent signs the application, the law requires that the other parent provide written consent.

After the discovery of the alleged false letter, Luk's daughter's passport was seized by federal agents at the time of his arrest on April 11. If convicted, Luk faces up to five years in prison.

Netting system to guard Hawaii Kai townhouses

Work will begin next week on the second phase of the project to protect a Hawaii Kai townhouse complex from boulders on a nearby hillside.

A blessing was held yesterday at the construction site at Lalea along Hawaii Kai Drive.

Last Thanksgiving, boulders crashed onto two vehicles parked at the complex. A rock smashed into the second-floor window of one unit while the family inside was having Thanksgiving dinner.

Since then, residents of 26 units in buildings 7130 and 7168 have been relocated until the rockfall mitigation project is complete.

The second phase of the project includes installing a multilayer netting system on five acres of hillside behind the central portion of the development. Royal Contracting Co. Ltd. was selected to do the work, which should take six months.

The project's first phase, to widen and deepen an existing 1,000-foot drainage ditch between the hillside and the complex, was begun on April 1 and is expected to be finished by July 1.

Landowner Kamehameha Schools and developer Castle & Cooke are paying for the project, which could cost between $3 million and $5 million.

Arthritis group holding fund-raising walk

The Arthritis Foundation will hold a 1-mile indoor fund-raising walk Sunday at Windward Mall, Kaneohe, to kick off Arthritis Month.

More than 200 walkers are expected to participate in the event, starting with registration at 8 a.m. and pre-walk festivities at 8:45 a.m. The walk will start in the Center Court at 9 a.m.

Entertainers, dances and clowns will join the walkers, who are raising funds to support research to find a cure for arthritis. Castle Medical Center will provide a continental breakfast for all walkers.

About 186,000 islanders are believed to have one of more than 120 arthritis-related diseases.

For more information, call the Arthritis Foundation, 596-2900.

Organic food is topic at vegetarian meeting

Kimberly Clark, founding board member of the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association, will discuss "Organic Foods: Their Future Is up to You" at a Vegetarian Society of Hawaii meeting at 7 p.m. May 14 at the Ala Wai Golf Course Clubhouse.

Clark is owner of "Just Add Water," a 6-year-old community supported agriculture program that teaches organic farming and grows and markets organic products for her quarter-acre garden and a dozen farms.

Her talk is free and open to the public.

She will also speak at 7 p.m. May 15 at the Seventh-day Adventist Church, 261 S. Puunene Ave., Kahului.

The Vegetarian Society is asking for volunteers to assist with the meeting on Oahu.

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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 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

HONOLULU

OCCC escapees Padilla and Takata captured

Two women who escaped from Oahu Community Correctional Center Monday night are back in custody.

State Deputy Sheriffs arrested Michelle Padilla, 27, about 6 a.m. today at a 7-Eleven store in Nuuanu. Kimberly Takata, 33, was arrested about 9:30 a.m. at a parking lot on Rycroft Street. Both were arrested without incident.

The two escaped while other inmates distracted guards, officials said. The women went through an unlocked door and through a hole in the fence.

As the result of the escape, prison officials instituted additional security measures, which include locking all doors and roving guards outside the prison.

Police looking for man in attempted robbery

Police want help finding a man who tried to steal a bracelet and a diaper bag from a woman who was walking with her baby near 20 S. Kukui St. about 1:40 p.m. April 15.

The victim was injured when the man struck her in the face during a struggle. He is described as in his 30s, 5 feet 4 to 5 feet 6, 140 pounds, with a medium build, brown eyes, brown complexion, short curly black hair with receding hairline, a mustache and a beard.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Gordon Makashima at 529-3436 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.

NORTH SHORE

2 arrests in kidnapping of pageant contestant

Two men were arrested for allegedly kidnapping one of the contestants in the Miss Hawaiian Tropic International Pageant at Turtle Bay Resort.

Police said a 21-year-old contestant reported that two men offered her a ride from the hotel to a convenience store about 6:45 p.m., and during the ride one of the men tried to force her to take some sort of pills.

Police said the woman managed to break free and caught a ride back to the hotel where she called police. The suspects, a 22-year-old Sunset Beach man and a 34-year-old Kailua man, were arrested at the hotel.

LEEWARD OAHU

Man charged in sexual assault of 12-year-old

Honolulu police have charged a 19-year-old man with allegedly sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl over a period of 10 days, beginning April 17.

Police said Ryan Toreejas Eala assaulted the victim in her mother's home in Aiea. The victim was taken to Kapiolani Medical Center for treatment.

Eala, arrested Tuesday, was charged yesterday with 10 counts of first-degree sexual assault and 10 counts of third-degree sexual assault. Bail was set at $150,000.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Body discovered in car prompts investigation

LIHUE >> A body burned beyond recognition was discovered in a car at a brush fire near Lawai on Kauai's South Shore yesterday afternoon.

Police did not say whether they were able to determine the sex or age of the victim.

An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death and identity of the person.

Giant tikis stolen from Big Island warehouse

Big Island police want help finding two large tikis stolen Sunday from a warehouse on the Shojin Lumber Co. property in Kainaliu, North Kona.

Police said several people most likely carried away a 7-foot tiki carved from monkeypod and a 6-foot tiki carved from mahogany.

Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Marjorieann Santos at 326-4208 or CrimeStoppers at 329-8181 in Kona or 961-8300 in Hilo.