Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
PacifiCare donates $5,000 to charity
A Honolulu-based organization has donated $5,000 to the Ronald McDonald Charities of Hawaii.The funds from PacifiCare Foundation, a nonprofit organization established by PacifiCare Health Systems Inc., will help pay for a fire escape and staircase at Ronald McDonald House, which houses families seeking specialized medical treatment for their ill children.
Waipahu man indicted in smuggling of 'ice'
A federal grand jury charged a Waipahu man yesterday with being involved in a crystal methamphetamine, or ice, trafficking operation.According to a federal indictment, Martin Verece received two pounds of ice on Nov. 20 which was intended for a third party.
The indictment stated that a Federal Express parcel was sent from the mainland by a Whitey Chen after Verece said he had collected money from the third party.
Verece was charged with conspiracy to distribute ice, as well as drug possession and the use of a telephone to facilitate the crime. The indictment did not name Chen or the third party mentioned in the case.
Big Isle drug summit is set for next week
HILO >> The second annual Hawaii Island Meth Summit will be held Monday at the Waikoloa Beach Marriott in West Hawaii, Mayor Harry Kim's office announced.The invitation-only conference will serve as a follow-up to the summit arranged a year ago in response to Kim's call for a war on crystal methamphetamine, or "ice," in 2001.
The 2002 summit, arranged by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Crime Prevention Council, was just the sixth held in the nation.
Regarding next week's conference, Kim's drug coordinator, Bill Kenoi, said, "Approximately 300 invited island residents and community stakeholders will again look at steps we need to collectively take to address the ongoing threat of ice to our children and families."
Speakers will include Kim, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, police Chief Lawrence Mahuna, U.S. Attorney Ed Kubo, U.S. Rep. Ed Case and Kona addiction specialist Dr. Kevin Kunz.
Hawaii County's efforts against ice run parallel to those of Lt. Gov. James Aiona Jr., who is planning an ice summit in Honolulu on Sept. 17-18.
Mayor bans Chinatown sidewalk vendors
Mayor Jeremy Harris has signed a bill that prohibits peddling on Chinatown sidewalks and other city property.The new ordinance outlaws un-permitted peddling on city sidewalks, malls, parks and beaches.
The bill was originally aimed at clearing peddlers from Kekaulike Mall in Chinatown but now includes the area's College Walk and Sun Yat Sen Mall.
Violators can be jailed up to 30 days, fined up to $1,000 or both, depending on the number of repeated violations.
Cancer organization opens isle office
The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition based in Boca Raton, Fla., has opened a Hawaii Division in Honolulu headed by Celeste Olivares.The coalition is committed to raising awareness and promoting education about ovarian cancer, the leading cause of death in gynecologic cancers.
It is estimated that more than 23,300 women will be diagnosed this year and more than 13,900 will die, the coalition said.
No early diagnostic test is available for ovarian cancer, but symptoms may include pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort; vague, persistent gastrointestinal upsets; frequency or urgency of urination with no infection present; pelvic and/or abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness; and ongoing unusual fatigue.
Women age 18 and older should have annual vaginal and rectovaginal exams, and those at high risk should have transvaginal sonography, the coalition said.
For more information about risks and symptoms of ovarian cancer, call Olivares at 677-5322, e-mail hi.nocc@ovarian.org, contact national headquarters at 888-OVARIAN or see www.ovarian.org.
Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, 500 NE Spanish River Blvd., Suite 14, Boca Raton, FL 33431, for a free brochure.
Volunteers needed for hospice care
Volunteers are needed by Hospice Hawaii to help care for patients facing the end of life."By sharing their time and themselves, they help the patients and families we serve to live fuller lives," said Caroline Odo, volunteer services coordinator.
She said many volunteers "experience positive life-affirming lessons." They learn the importance of comfort by relieving stress and giving solace to terminally ill people, she said.
Free training programs are scheduled at the Ka Hana O Ke Akua Church, 86-311 Lualualei Homestead Road.
An information session will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Training sessions will be from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 and Sept. 27.
Hospice Hawaii is particularly looking for Waianae Coast volunteers. Space is limited, so interested people must register, Odo said. Call 924-9255 to sign up.
Muscular Dystrophy Association gives award
Jovanka Ijacic, 34, of Honolulu, has received the Muscular Dystrophy Association's 2003 Personal Achievement Award for Hawaii.She was honored for her community involvement and perseverance in a 15-year fight against the debilitating effects of myasthenia gravis.
She was diagnosed at age 19 with this disease of the neuromuscular junction, which causes weakness and fatigue in muscles of the eyes, face, neck, throat, limbs and/or trunk.
Ijacic graduated from the University of Hawaii with a bachelor's degree in business administration and went to work for the HAPI Physician Indemnity Plan in Honolulu where she spearheaded development of a Web site and newsletter.
She earned first runner-up honors in the Mrs. Hawaii pageant and was crowned Mrs. Oahu in 2001.
She is fluent in the Serbian and Croatian languages and often travels to Yugoslavia.
She volunteers many hours to helping the MDA and often shares her story publicly as an example of how the association's research into neuromuscular disease can benefit people affected.
Hawaii woman gives diabetes talks in Paris
Jane Kadohiro, state Health Department deputy director and outgoing president of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, is presenting three papers at an International Diabetes Federation conference in Paris.She is talking to nurses about diabetes education in the United States at a pre-conference session today through Sunday and will discuss global multidisciplinary care organizations for diabetes at federation meetings next week.
Kadohiro was honored recently by Eli Lilly for being on insulin 50 years. She received a medal from the pharmaceutical company at the 30th annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators in Salt Lake City. The company sent a team to interview her and her family for a video that was not product-related, she said.
"It was a nice way to end a great year of neat experiences," she said."
Free lectures focus on managing diabetes
The Honolulu Medical Group will hold a free public lecture on "Diabetes and You: Now What?" from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday in the third-floor conference room.Ululani Young, a registered nurse, will discuss the types of diabetes and what can be done to manage the disease with medications, testing blood sugar levels, diet, exercise and continuing education.
For more information, call 537-2211, ext. 581, or e-mail SamanthaS@honmed.com.
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[Taking Notice]
>> The West Honolulu Rotary Club Foundation has awarded nine Al Hastings Scholarships to graduating seniors Phuoc Hoa Dao and Sam Peng Ho, of Kaimuki High School; Jennifer Fitzgerald and Sarah Kaopuiki, of Kamehameha Schools; Tanner Go, of Punahou School; Ashley Gauer, of Farrington High School; Jeffrey Mizokawa, of Mid Pacific Institute; Michelle Madrid, of Moanalua High School; and Annie Nguyen, of Lahainaluna High School.
CORRECTION
Saturday, Aug. 23, 2003>> Matthew Jachowski, of Maui, will join other students at Lucent Technologies' fifth annual global Science Scholars Summit in New Jersey. His photograph is shown here. A photo of his brother, Nicholas, was incorrectly published with a "Taking Notice" item Thursday on Page A2 about Matthew.
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.
>> Matthew Jachowski, who graduated this year from Maui High School, joined 46 other student winners at Lucent Technologies' fifth annual global Science Scholars Summit in New Jersey.
>> The Asian Pacific American Women's Leadership Institute has appointed Mervina Cash-Kaeo its new president and chief executive officer. She was the deputy director of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii and has held positions on several boards of community-based organizations.
>> The American Association for State and Local History has given the fourth-grade students of Hilo Union School a certificate of commendation for a student video project, "Hilo, My Hometown."
>> Winners of the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, worth $1,500 for the first year of college and renewable for the next three years, from the First Congressional District are:
Elizabeth Au, Rachel Bradshaw, David Choy, Brent Kakesako, Kimberly Loo, Adam Maruyama, Stephanie Speirs, Anne Yeung and Janelle Fukumoto, of Iolani School; Yun-Ja Chen and Kevin Takasaki, of Punahou School; Shannon Chow, of Roosevelt High School; Nicole Sakai, of Pearl City High School; Noah Sakimura, of Kalani High School; Cameron Taketa and Kambrie Kato, of Hawaii Baptist Academy; Jason Baum and Matthew Jachowski, of Maui High School; Jane Chung, of Moanalua High School; Heidi Fink, of Kalaheo High School; Eric Fujikawa, of Kauai High School; Jacquelyn Grace and Aiko Yamashiro, of Castle High School; Jessica Hara, of Hilo High School; Blake Kurisu, of Waiakea High School; Megan Nakashima and Milo Smith, of King Kekaulike High School; and Samuel Ulin, of Seabury Hall.
>> The Chinese Women's Club of Honolulu has awarded scholarships to Nicole H. Fujie, of the University of Hawaii at Hilo; and Joanna A.T. Lee and Krystal Y.G. Lee, of UH-Manoa.
"Taking Notice" runs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Please send items to City Desk, Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana, Suite 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNORTH SHORE
Missing woman recently visited with father
Police said a 33-year-old Mokuleia woman who was reported missing since last month had visited her father on the North Shore on Monday.Lt. Bill Kato, of the Honolulu Police Department, said Kelly Sussel told her father that she was going to stay with friends in the downtown area.
Kato said Sussel's father had not seen or spoken to her in the last two years until Monday.
Sussel was last seen July 22 at Pizza Bob's in Haleiwa with family and friends. Sussel and her boyfriend, Michael Fierro, are homeless and lived on the beach in Mokuleia.
Police spoke to Fierro yesterday. Kato said Fierro told police he was unaware of Sussel's whereabouts.
Sussel has eight children who are staying with family members.
On Jan. 6, Circuit Judge Karen Ahn set aside Sussel's deferred acceptance of guilty plea in a 1998 welfare fraud case and sentenced her to probation as long as she served 30 days in jail.
Sussel failed to meet with her probation officer and failed to pay $2,433 in restitution.
On July 10, Sussel's probation was revoked, and she was sentenced to five years' probation for failing to report to her probation officer and failing to pay restitution.
Anyone with information on Sussel is asked to call police at 529-3115 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
WAIKIKI
Police arrest 1 suspect in apartment break-in
Police have arrested one of two men who allegedly broke into a Waikiki apartment at about 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.Police said a 49-year-old male victim awoke to the sound of glass breaking and found two male suspects in his living room.
The suspects, who had broken through the front windows, assaulted the victim, then fled through the same windows they came in from, police said.
Police said officers located one of the suspects, a 38-year-old male, a short distance from the scene, where he was positively identified by a witness and arrested for first-degree burglary.
HONOLULU
Man who used machete in road threat charged
Police charged a 47-year-old man with first-degree terroristic threatening for allegedly chasing another man with a machete last month.Police said Henry Dela Cruz, who has no local address, was involved in a traffic incident in Kalihi with a Kaneohe man on July 3.
Police said Dela Cruz chased the victim with a machete while a second suspect chased him with a hatchet.
Police said the victim recently spotted Dela Cruz's vehicle parked near Honolulu Community College and called police.
Dela Cruz is being held in lieu of $20,000.
Morning fire kills dog in apartment
A dog died in a fire that caused about $20,000 in damage to a Punchbowl apartment Tuesday, fire officials said.Firefighters were called to a second-floor apartment at 1455 Pele St. at 7:13 a.m.
Fire Capt. Emmit Kane said a 65-pound dog was found dead in the bedroom. Kane said the fire was caused by a fan that was left on.
The American Red Cross was assisting the 47-year-old resident with housing arrangements.
Store worker allegedly steals register's cash
Police arrested a Jamba Juice employee after she allegedly stole money from the cash register over a four-month period.Police said an investigation conducted by Coffee Partners Hawaii, owner of Jamba Juice, revealed that the 20-year-old employee was taking cash from the register after she had voided cash transactions.
The thefts occurred at Jamba Juice at 4211 Waialae Ave. between April 6 and last Saturday.
WINDWARD OAHU
Search for lost hiker to continue today
The search along Crouching Lion Trail for a 45-year-old man who has been missing since Friday will resume this morning, according to fire officials.Two hikers found Phillip Milos' backpack along the trail in Kahana Valley on Tuesday, which prompted the search for Milos.
Police and Honolulu Fire Department rescue crews as well as the Fire Department helicopter searched the trail yesterday.
Their search was hampered by rain and cloudy weather.
Police said Milos' car was found parked at Laie Shopping Center at 6 a.m. yesterday.
Detective Phil Camero, of Missing Persons Detail, said Milos was believed to have caught the bus to the trail.
Milos moved to the Big Island from Pennsylvania in 2001. Three months ago he moved to Kauai, and to Oahu about three weeks ago, Camero said.
Anyone with information may call police at 529-3115 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Big Isle police warn of new lottery scam
Big Island police issued a warning about a new scam that targets people by telling them they have won the lottery, police said yesterday.Police said a Kona resident received a letter from the "International Lotto Commission" telling her she had won $475,000 in a lottery allegedly held by the "El Gordo de la Primitiva Program."
Police said the letter required the woman to send in 10 percent of the total sum to an address in Spain to receive her reward.
Legitimate lotteries do not require a winner to send money, police said.
Anyone with questions about the legitimacy of a telephone solicitation can call the state Office of Consumer Protection at 933-0919, the Better Business Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission.
Information sought on Hilo truck break-in
Big Island police want information about a truck break-in that occurred about 9:15 a.m. yesterday in Hilo.Police said the owner of a 1991 Mazda pickup truck found a man wearing a white cap, sunglasses and shorts breaking into his truck, which was parked across from 76 Kamehameha Ave.
The owner chased the man up Shipman Street, but the man ran into an alleyway toward Waianuenue Avenue and got away.
Anyone with information can contact Detective John Anchetta at 961-2276, the police nonemergency number at 935-3311 or CrimeStoppers at 961-8300.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
