Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin Staff
[ TAKING NOTICE ]
Isle students honored
for volunteer serviceTwo Hawaii students are among some 100 students from across the country who were honored recently for their outstanding volunteer service.
Corey Johnson, 17, a Hilo High School student, and Kelcie Suda, 13, a St. Anthony Junior/Senior High School student in Wailuku, were recipients of the 2003 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
Each received a $1,000 cash prize, an engraved silver medallion and a trip to Washington, D.C., for the ceremony at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Johnson and Suda were named in February the top high-school and middle-school youth volunteers in Hawaii, respectively.
The Prudential awards were created eight years ago by Prudential Financial Inc. to encourage youth volunteerism and to reward young role models. The program is conducted with the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
>> Students from Baldwin and Maui high schools won first place divisional awards at the national Project EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) conference earlier this year. The students are James Choe, Domingo Lovely and Michelle Bonilla, of Maui High; and Selena Pang, Matthew Betsill, Dylan Houston and James Herrington, of Baldwin. They were also recently honored for their achievements by the state Senate and given certificates of congratulations.
>> Dana Newman, a senior at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu, has been awarded the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. He is eligible to receive up to $5,000 for his study of the Maori political systems at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
"Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Listings also appear online at www.starbulletin.com. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
SARS blamed for drop in Asia's petroleum use
Demand for petroleum products has declined in the Asia-Pacific region because of the economic slowdown caused by the SARS virus, an energy expert said yesterday.Jeffrey Brown, of the East-West Center in Honolulu, said severe acute respiratory syndrome will reduce growth in regional demand this year by 70,000-100,000 barrels per day.
Overall, regional demand is projected to grow by 367,000-397,000 barrels per day.
The drop in fuel consumption is blamed on two main factors.
"People are radically altering their travel habits, which is having a major impact on the demand for jet fuel," Brown said. "Second, the fact that people are avoiding public places, such as markets, and altering their work habits is having a negative impact on economic growth and petroleum-product consumption."
Owners get 13 dogs seized in Hawaii Kai
The Hawaiian Humane Society recently released to their owners 13 of 27 dogs seized from a Hawaii Kai townhouse Wednesday, according to spokeswoman Eve Holt.Those who had claimed their dogs Friday were required to show proof of ownership of the animals, Holt said. Humane Society officials are continuing their animal cruelty investigation of Lucy Kagan, in whose townhouse the dogs were found.
Firefighters responded to a stove fire in Kagan's Hawaii Kai townhouse Wednesday and discovered 27 dogs and two cats living in squalid conditions.
Since then, some people have accused Kagan of selling them a sick animal or failing to provide their dog's pedigree papers.
Isles to get $1.7 million in Medicaid fraud case
Hawaii will receive $1,765,775 from the largest Medicaid fraud settlement -- $329.7 million -- involving drug manufacturers, the state attorney general announced yesterday.Bayer Corp. and GlaxoSmithKline illegally tried to profit from the Medicaid program by failing to accurately report their "best price" for certain drugs to the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services, the attorney general's office said.
While these companies sold drugs at greatly discounted rates to health maintenance organizations, they concealed the best price from the center by using the HMOs' private labels, thus avoiding having to pay sufficient rebates to state Medicaid programs, the attorney general's office said.
The scheme involved Bayer's antibiotic Cipro and antihypertensive drug Adalat CC, and GlaxoSmithKline's Flonase, a nasal spray, and anti-depressant Paxil.
|
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. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers CENTRAL OAHU
Neighbor puts out Mililani patio blaze with hose
Quick action today by a neighbor kept a fire from spreading from a patio at a Mililani residence at 4:06 a.m.The neighbor, after smelling smoke from unit 125 at 95-322 Kaloapau St., put out the fire with a garden hose by the time firefighters arrived at 4:16 a.m., said Capt. Emmit Kane.
The fire was caused by the smoldering remains of a barbecue, which ignited an artificial Christmas tree, Kane said. Three people were home but were not aware of the fire, he said.
HONOLULU
Kalihi Jack in the Box robber remains at large
Police want help finding a man who robbed a fast-food restaurant in Kalihi at gunpoint last month.Police said the suspect approached the takeout window at the Jack in the Box restaurant at 2317 N. School St. about 4:45 a.m. April 30.
Police said the man showed a handgun, reached inside the window, grabbed money and fled on foot in the Koko Head direction on North School Street.
The suspect is described as in his early 20s, 6 feet tall, 180-200 pounds, with a husky build, dark eyes, tan complexion, thick brown unkempt mustache and pock-marked or scarred face.
He was last seen wearing a dark blue hooded sweatshirt and baggy knee-length blue shorts.
The gun is described as a dark, small- to medium-frame semiautomatic pistol.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Taro Nakamura at 529-3382 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cellular phone.
Assault suspect found in mainland prison
Matias Ulangca, 52, wanted on sexual assault charges in Hawaii, has been found in prison in Wakiakum County, Wash., police said.Ulangca, who has convictions in Hawaii for assault, terroristic threatening and theft, is charged with sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in December 2001.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Alcohol-related deaths drop 80% on Big Isle
Big Island police report an 80 percent drop in the number of alcohol-related fatalities this year, compared with the same period last year.Of the 10 fatal accidents on the Big Island this year, one was attributed to drunken driving, police said. At this time last year, the island recorded 14 fatal accidents, with five attributed to drunken driving, police said.
From May 5 through Sunday, police arrested 19 motorists for drunken driving investigations.
There have been 301 DUI arrests on the Big Island this year, compared with 284 during the same period last year, an increase of 6 percent.
LEEWARD OAHU
Police seek suspect in attack of man, 23
Police are searching for a robber who apparently critically injured a 23-year-old man at Maili Beach Park about 3:45 a.m. yesterday.A woman in the park heard the "sound of hitting" and looked back and saw a man lying on the ground, police said. She saw another man taking the victim's backpack and fleeing, according to the report.
The victim was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition. Details of his injuries were not available.
