Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Symphony musicians vote to accept pay cuts
The Honolulu Symphony Orchestra's musicians voted last night to accept a 20 percent pay cut to avert layoffs.Management had said the symphony has a $1 million deficit and proposed several options, including pay cuts or laying off six musicians.
In a statement released late last night, the musicians union said its members chose the pay cut to "protect the orchestra size at its current level of 63 full-time and 20 part-time musicians."
Musicians' base pay for this year is $30,345 for a 34-week season. The musicians are in the second year of a five-year contract.
In the deal announced last night, they agreed to a 20 percent pay cut in the third and fourth year. The two sides will revisit the pay issue at the end of the fourth year. Furthermore, the musicians agreed to reduce to season to 30 weeks.
Candidate Kucinich to visit Oahu and Maui
WAILUKU >> Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, an Ohio congressman, will make appearances on Maui and Oahu this weekend.Kucinich is scheduled to attend a 4 to 8 p.m. fund-raising concert Saturday in Kahului with singer Willie Nelson for the Maui Montessori School. From 5:50 to 11 p.m. Kucinich will attend a United Filipino Community Council meeting at the Westin Maui in Lahaina.
Sunday, Kucinich will speak and respond to questions at a town meeting at 9 a.m. at Maui Community College in Kahului.
He will also attend a fund-raising lunch at noon at the Maui Tropical Plantation in Waikapu, where he is scheduled to deliver a speech at 1 p.m.
For information, contact Maui's Kucinich for President, 572-7983.
On Oahu, Kucinich will hold a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Church of the Crossroads on University Avenue.
Water usage down, restrictions remain
Average water consumption islandwide dropped by almost 2 million gallons per day during the week of Oct. 9-15, compared to the previous week.An official with the Honolulu Board of Water Supply called the numbers encouraging, but said voluntary water restrictions are still in effect because levels at key Oahu aquifers continue to be low.
Clifford Jamile, the agency's manager and chief engineer, said the "restrictions" could be lifted in a few weeks.
The Board of Water Supply asked consumers in early August to voluntarily restrict their irrigation and landscape watering to three days a week before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m.
At 154.6 gallons per day, the water-consumption figure during the week ending Oct. 15 was the lowest since June and down by 10 million gallons from the same week last year.
Effort to catch rare bird gets Hawaiian blessing
WAILUKU >> A group of workers trying to capture three endangered native Hawaiian birds has received the blessing of Kahu Charles Kaupu.The workers with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources will use nets next week to attempt to capture the native honeycreeper po'ouli. Two females and one male po'ouli are believed to be the last of their species.
Kaupu delivered the blessing Monday at the endangered-bird propagation facility at Olinda.
"It gave us the spiritual feeling you get when you go into the forest," said Bill Evanson, a specialist with the department's Natural Area Reserve.
Maui tax office plans property-usage survey
WAILUKU >> Maui County tax officials are planning to send questionnaires to some 21,000 condominium owners Oct. 31, asking them to indicate the use of their property. Uses include hotel/resort, apartment, home and commercial.Tax official Gery Madriaga said the questionnaires are an attempt to tax properties based on their actual use. He said similar questionnaires were sent to condominium owners about 10 years ago. Failure to respond to the questionnaires could lead to a 10 percent penalty in property taxes.
Tax officials are asking for the questionnaires to be returned by Nov. 30.
Federal grant to help education of Hawaiians
HILO >> The U.S. Department of Education has awarded $2,175,984 to the University of Hawaii at Hilo for educating Hawaiians in the sciences, the university announced.The money, part of the Native Hawaiian Education Act Program, will be provided over three years.
The money will be used in a "pathway" program in high schools statewide administered by UHH Na Pua No'eau Center for Gifted and Talented Native Hawaiian Children.
After completing high school, students can continue studies at UH Hilo, UH Manoa, UH West Hawaii, Kauai Community College, Maui Community College, Lanai School, or Molokai Education Center.
The program will work with a "cohort group" of students over three years starting with the summer prior to ninth-grade, Sing said.
For information call (808) 933-0829 or (808) 974-7678.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffMan dies from alleged beating in Waikiki
Police are investigating the death of a 41-year-old man who had said he was beaten in Waikiki last weekend.The man died yesterday at the Queen's Medical Center after admitting himself to the hospital on Wednesday. He reported being beaten by a group of men in Waikiki, police said.
Woman sought in theft of Hilo bar's surfboard
Big Island police are looking for a gray-haired woman who allegedly stole a 4-foot plastic display surfboard with a Corona beer logo at a Hilo bar on Banyan Drive.The woman was seen on a surveillance tape leaving the restaurant July 26 with the surfboard in a trash bag. The suspect is about 5-feet tall, 200 pounds, with a fair complexion.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
