Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Kapiolani Boulevard will get some repaving
Parts of Kapiolani Boulevard between Kaheka Street and Ward Avenue will be repaved from 7:30 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. for five or six days starting Monday.The emergency roadwork, which also includes a small section of Kapiolani near South Street, will replace pavement in the curb lanes.
Three lanes will be closed to traffic in the construction area, and motorists are advised to expect detours.
Consumers warned of bogus FDIC e-mail
The state Department of Commerce & Consumer Affairs has issued a warning that e-mails sent to customers of financial institutions fraudulently claim to be from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.Mark Recktenwald, director of the state agency, said yesterday the e-mails, which attempt to obtain highly personal information, have not surfaced in Hawaii yet.
The e-mails also falsely claim that FDIC deposit insurance will be suspended until the requested information is provided, he said.
Consumers should report such questionable e-mail to the FDIC at alert@fdic.gov.
Salt Lake man admits guilt in software piracy
A Salt Lake man has pleaded guilty in federal court in New Haven, Conn., to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement by illegally distributing computer software over the Internet.Ross Ishida, 23, of Ala Napunani Street, waived indictment yesterday and pleaded guilty to a complaint charging him with conspiracy.
Ishida admitted he uploaded and downloaded numerous illegal copies of software to "warez" sites -- an underground online community that consists of people who use the Internet to illegally distribute software.
Ishida also admitted he maintained his own warez computer site, which was attached to a high-speed Internet link at the University of Hawaii.
Ishida faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 when he is sentenced April 6.
Specialists to discuss cervical cancer issues
"Closing in on Cervical Cancer" will be discussed by specialists in a free community health lecture at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Queen's Medical Center conference center, at the corner of Beretania and Punchbowl streets.Dr. Keith Terada, gynecologic oncologist, and Dr. Thanh Huynh, radiation oncology specialist, will discuss early detection of cervical cancer, advances in treatment and radiation therapy.
Call the Queen's Referral Line at 537-7117 for more information and to register.
[ TAKING NOTICE ]
ACADEMIC AWARDS
>> Taylor Tsuji, a sixth-grader at Nuuanu Elementary School, is the grand-prize winner of the "Win a Cacao Tree" essay contest, sponsored by state Rep. Corrine Ching (R, Nuuanu-Liliha). Kauluwela Elementary School won a cacao tree for submitting the highest number of essays, based on the percentage of entries per students enrolled. The students were asked to view the "Chocolate" exhibit at the Bishop Museum and write an essay on "What I Discovered About Chocolate.">> Chantal Aquino, of Kailua High School, and Carlie Salomons, of Kahuku High, are members of Windward Community College's Upward Bound program, which won first place in a national Web site competition. The team also included WCC staff member Michelle Hite. The federally funded program provides academic enrichment activities for high school students. Their site, "Wipe Out!" on surfing in Hawaii, took the "best of contest" award and the gold medal for "Site from a New Program" as part of the TRIO ThinkQuest competition.
>> U.S. Rep. Ed Case (D- Neighbor Islands, Rural Oahu) has nominated the following students as his choices to four service academies for the class entering in July:
U.S. Air Force Academy: Kamehameha Schools student Jeffrey "Kekoa" Kuamoo-Peck, of Kapolei.
U.S. Naval Academy: Punahou School student John Dubiel, of Haleiwa, and Hawaii Pacific University student Brian Fields, of Kailua.
U.S. Military Academy: Lahainaluna High student Casey Kawaguchi, of Lahaina; and Maui High student Ronald Belany, of Haiku.
>> The Ko Olina Training Fund has awarded more than $310,000 in scholarships to 125 Leeward Oahu residents. Created by the Ko Olina Resort & Marina, the fund's goal is to help and encourage Leeward residents to participate in the region's future through job training and education.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS
A 35-year-old opihi picker fell 25 to 30 feet yesterday while trying to climb a cliff in Ookala on the Big Island.
Opihi picker hurt after falling off cliffBig Island fire officials did not know the man's condition after the fall.
Fifteen firefighters responded to help the man about noon yesterday.
He was taken by air to North Hawaii Community Hospital and later transported to a Honolulu hospital.
Police identify man found in burned home
Police have identified the man found last week in the smoldering remains of a Puna home as 42-year-old Dion Kluz, of Hawaiian Paradise Park.Firefighters were called Jan. 14 about 8 a.m. to a house on 18th Avenue in Hawaiian Paradise Park that was engulfed in flames.
After extinguishing the blaze, police found the charred body of a victim inside.
East Hawaii Criminal Investigation Section detectives said Kluz was identified through dental records and his Hawaii driver's license.
The cause of Kluz's death has not yet been officially determined.
Big Island police are asking anyone associated with the victim to call Detective Richard Sherlock, of the East Hawaii CIS, at 961-2379 or the police nonemergency number at 935-3311.
Big Island residents warned of lottery scam
Big Island police are warning residents of a possible lottery scam.A number of residents have received letters telling them they have won thousands of euro dollars as part of a larger cash prize shared among 345,796 winners.
Recipients of the letters are asked to fill out a "payment processing form" that includes blanks for the resident's bank name, address and personal account number.
The letter also says that because a firm called "Ibero Promotion Co." has "bought your ticket and played the lottery on your name," it would receive 10 percent of the "winnings."
LEEWARD OAHU
Two eastbound lanes of the H-1 freeway near Makakilo were closed for hours yesterday as fire crews worked to clean up more than 80 gallons of diesel spilled from a truck's leaking gas tank.
2 H-1 lanes close after truck spills diesel fuelPolice closed the lanes in the area from about 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. after a truck leaked the diesel over a 200-foot stretch of road. The closures backed up traffic for miles, but no one was injured in the incident.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
