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Star-Bulletin staff and wire
ONE BIG BAMBUCHA FRUIT
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Hannah Takaki, left, gets a little help from her cousins, Casey Proud, second from left, Daniel Schattauer and Kyle Kapunia, right, while harvesting a giant jackfruit in Kona. The family will submit the fruit to Guinness Book of World Records as the world's largest tree fruit. Officially weighed at the Kona Pacific Farmers Cooperative, the sweet-tasting fruit registered at 76.4 pounds with a circumference of 47 3/4 inches. Native to Western India, the fruit spread throughout Southeast Asia and first came to Hawaii in 1888.
Downtown breakfast raises $6,375 for AUW
Hungry Downtown Honolulu office workers raised $6,375 for Aloha United Way at the Finance Factors' Benefit Breakfast Aug. 1.More than 1,000 breakfast plates of Portuguese sausage, scrambled eggs and rice were purchased and delivered to offices around downtown, while the "VIP's" enjoyed a seated breakfast of omelets and fresh fruits in front of the Finance Factors building.
Proceeds from the breakfast fund-raiser support the Aloha United Way and its nonprofit organizations, including the American Cancer Society, the American Red Cross and the YWCA.
Wahiawa Lions needs school supply gifts
The Wahiawa Lions will collect school supplies to help needy students in Wahiawa schools on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Wahiawa Shopping Center and Tamura's Market.Needed supplies include: Pencils, red and black ball-point pens, three-hole wide-ruled binder paper, portfolios with inside bottom pockets, erasers, glue, paper towels, napkins, facial tissue, boxes of crayons, colored pencils and markers, composition books, permanent black markers, manila folders and scissors.
For more information or to make a donation, call 621-5109 extension 226.
Feds provide grant to help rural housing
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved a $50,000 grant for the Hawaii County Economic Opportunity Council.Monies will be used for residents in rural areas, especially native Hawaiians to obtain or maintain adequate housing. The grant will help create a program to assist low-income persons seeking to qualify for a rural housing service loan or a loan from other financial institutions.
The program will also be available to those who already own a home and are in jeopardy of foreclosure due to financial problems.
For more information on rural programs, visit the USDA Rural Development office or visit the Web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov.
UH professors awarded with Regents medals
The University of Hawaii awarded three university professors the Regents Medal for Excellence in Research.The award is presented by the Board of Regents and recognizes faculty members whose research contributions expands their field and enriches the lives of students and the community.
The awards were presented to:
>> Andrew Harris, an assistant professor in the Hawaii Institute of Geophysics and Planetology at UH Manoa, an expert in volcanic studies. He has published 33 papers since 1999 and recently developed a method to provide frequent temperature measurements of Kilauea Volcano.
>> Laurence N. Kolonel, the Deputy Director of the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, is an internationally recognized scholar in epidemiology and cancer. His pioneering published research demonstrates the importance of diet in the development of cancer in humans.
>> James B. Nation, a mathematics professor, earned the respect of the international mathematics community with his research into lattice theory. He created the field of congruence varieties, regarded as a central part of lattice theory and universal algebra, and found the solution to an elegant characterization of the class of free lattices.
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Academic awards
>> Papa John's Pizza Restaurants has awarded $1,000 scholarships to 15 graduating high school seniors: Dina Corpuz Agngarayngay of Radford; Lei-Ann Cadiz, Waipahu; Cherie Ching, Pearl City; Kristine Ganibe, Mililani; Ashley Gauer, Farrington; Nicolette Harp, Leilehua; Jennifer Kim, Campbell; Arezu Mahjoubi, Sacred Hearts Academy; Madisen Minkel, St. Francis; Marisianne Pangilinan, Nanakuli; Mary Jane Pascual, Moanalua; Robert Rath III, Castle; Ann Skipper, Kailua; Jennifer Yeban, McKinley; and Taryn Yonaha, Kalani.>> The Farrington Alumni & Community Foundation has awarded over $40,000 in scholarships to these graduates: Sarah Tanuvasa, Michael Clemente, Quinto Baclig, Sharon Abad, Jemimah Baluscang, Daniel Cardenas, Ashley Gauer, Cristy-Lyn Macabeo, Margaret Nuesca, Pauline Perez, James Cadiz, Leilani Farinas, Thai Ha-Huynh, Michael Javines, Jennelyn Tabios, Randolph Lao, Ruth Alcotas, Shayna Esteban, Crystal Cabico, Caroline Laulusa, Ashley Rasa, Emerson Tabios, and Reihna Villahermosa.
>> Rachel H. Lau of Kaneohe, a teacher at Punahou School, has been awarded a James Madison Fellowship, one of 56 awarded this year to support those who aspire to or have become teachers of American history, government and social studies in secondary schools. The scholarship provided up to $24,000 of Lau's course of study toward a master's degree.
Police, Fire, CourtsStar-Bulletin staff
LEEWARD OAHU
Hit-and-run crash leaves pedestrian critically injured A 30-year-old woman was flown to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition after she was struck by a van while crossing Farrington Highway at Pohakanui Avenue in Nanakuli at 2:23 a.m. yesterday, police reported.
The dark-colored van initially stopped but left the area without assisting the victim, according to the report.
The unidentified woman was crossing from the highway's south to north shoulder when a van traveling west on the freeway collided with her as she reached the northernmost lane. She was not in a crosswalk, police said.
Police are seeking information to locate the van, which has a broken side view mirror.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Sea turtle found dead with rope around neck LAHAINA, Maui >> A 100-pound green sea turtle with a noose around its neck was found dead on a Maui beach.
The length of rope around the amphibian was tied to a metal spike in the sand on a Lahaina beach, authorities said Friday.
"It's especially unfortunate because this was an otherwise healthy turtle," said Randy Awo, Maui District branch chief of the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement.
The Maui Police Department received an anonymous report on the turtle Friday morning.
The 2 1/2-foot-long creature's decomposing body was found when Department of Land and Natural Resources officer Stanley Okamoto arrived at the shore fronting the Lahaina Jodo Mission.
Officials said the rope appeared to have been wound three times around the turtle's neck and knotted, then run several feet across the beach and attached to a kui, a minispear used to string fish.
The turtle's age and sex were not determined, and a necropsy was to be conducted.
Sea turtles are a threatened species, protected by state and federal laws. Awo said anyone found guilty of committing a criminal act against a turtle could face fines of up to $5,000 per violation and administrative fees as high as $10,000.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
