Newswatch

Police, Fire, Courts

Star-Bulletin staff and wire

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Volunteers gather data on humpbacks

The third and final installment of the annual Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Count was held Saturday.

In all, 400 volunteers collected data at 59 sites on Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island.

An average of two whales were sighted per 15-minute count period, down from three in February and four and January, the sanctuary said.

Unusual weather conditions may have affected Saturday's count, official said.

The final results of the effort are to be compiled and analyzed before being made available in the fall.

An estimated 5,000 whales, or about two-thirds of the North Pacific stock of humpbacks, migrate in the winter to Hawaiian waters to breed, calve and nurse.

Library for the Blind reopening April 12

The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped will reopen April 12 after a nearly four-month re-roofing project.

Recent heavy rain pushed the reopening back 11 days.

Staff will continue to provide materials by mail to registered National Library Service patrons of Braille, audiocassette and large-print books.

Users may call during business hours to make requests. For more information, call the library at 733-8444.

UH undergraduate receives scholarship

A University of Hawaii undergraduate has been awarded the 2004 Monbukagakusho Research Student Scholarship, which pays for students to conduct research in Japan.

Daniel Rosen will leave for Japan early next month to study ceramics at Tama Art University in Tokyo.

A ceremony for Rosen will be held 10 to 11 a.m. tomorrow at the Japanese Consul General's Residence at 1742 Nuuanu Ave.

Rosen is pursuing a second bachelor's degree at UH-Manoa. His first bachelor's came from Pennsylvania State University, where he studied Italian and Japanese.

For more information, call the consulate at 543-3126.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

HONOLULU
Kalihi boys allegedly try to murder sleeping father

Police arrested two teenagers yesterday after they allegedly attacked their father with a knife and hammer in Kalihi.

Police said a 44-year-old man was sleeping on the sofa in his apartment at 1209 N. School St. about 1:30 a.m. yesterday when his 14-year-old son grabbed a knife from the kitchen and his 16-year-old son grabbed a hammer from a shelf.

Police said the victim woke up when his 14-year-old son allegedly cut him across the throat and the other son struck him on the head with the hammer.

The victim's wife woke up and saw her husband collapse to the floor, police said.

The man was taken to Kaiser Medical Center in Moanalua in serious condition and was later upgraded to stable condition.

Police said the victim's two sons were arrested on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder.

Kalihi house burns, hurting 2 battling blaze

Two people sustained minor burns yesterday while fighting flames in their Kalihi home.

Police were investigating the scene last night after fire officials found containers in the house that were labeled acetone.

Firefighters got to the three-bedroom 31 Coelhu Way home at about 4:46 p.m. and had the flames doused within minutes.

When they arrived, a man was trying to fight the fire with a garden hose, said Fire Capt. Emmit Kane.

A woman and man in their 40s were taken to Kuakini Medical Center in stable condition after receiving minor burns in the flames, according to Emergency Medical Services.

A woman in her 50s and a juvenile also live in the home.

Officials did not know the fire's cause last night or have an estimate on its damage to the home.

Chinatown fire causes $130,000 in damage

A late-night fire burned an apartment in a Chinatown high-rise Saturday, causing firefighters to evacuate residents from several floors of the building.

The fire started at 10:29 p.m. in Apartment 509 of the Maunakea Tower at 1245 Maunakea St. Thirty-eight firefighters had the fire under control at 11:04 p.m. and extinguished at 12:41 a.m.

Residents on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors of the 33-floor building were evacuated, said fire Capt. Emmit Kane. Police closed Maunakea Street from Beretania Street to Vineyard Boulevard.

Kane said a woman left her apartment to go to the laundry room and returned to find her apartment on fire. The woman, described as in her mid-50s, lives in the apartment with her daughter, in her early 20s. The daughter was not home at the time of the fire.

Kane said a number of items that were near the stove caught fire from the stove's burner.

Damage is estimated at $130,000 to the apartment and others affected by smoke and water. The American Red Cross is assisting nine residents with living arrangements.

Police seek girl who escaped during outing

Police are searching for a female teenager who escaped from a drug and alcohol treatment center during a supervised excursion Saturday.

Three juveniles who were court-ordered to the Bobby Benson Center in Laie were on a supervised excursion Saturday night at the Neal Blaisdell Center watching the Moscow State Circus. During intermission, four girls told their supervisor they wanted to get a drink of water.

Police said three of the four girls ran away. The following day, two girls, ages 16 and 17, turned themselves in to police at Pauoa Park. The two were arrested on suspicion of second-degree escape and were sent to a detention home.

CENTRAL OAHU
2 women injured in Wahiawa crash

Two women were taken to the Queen's Medical Center Friday after a single-car accident in Wahiawa.

Police said a 19-year-old Wahiawa woman was driving south on Kamehameha Highway at 7:28 p.m. with a Waipahu woman when the white 1992 Buick Regal veered off the road and struck a tree near Waikalani Drive.

The driver suffered injuries to her right eye and was transported to Queen's in serious condition. Her passenger suffered head and leg injuries and was transported to the same hospital in critical condition.

LEEWARD OAHU
Diver found in cave was from Ewa Beach

A 26-year-old diver who was found dead in an underwater cave off the Leeward Coast was identified yesterday by the medical examiner's office as Jason Matsuo, of Ewa Beach.

Matsuo was found Friday in an underwater cave near Ko Olina Marina. He was taken to St. Francis Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

WINDWARD OAHU
Heeia Kea drowning victim is identified

The medical examiner's office identified a 75-year-old man who drowned off Heeia Kea Boat Harbor in Kaneohe as Satochi Hayashi, of Japan.

Police said Hayashi was with a snorkeling expedition tour group at about 1 p.m. Saturday. He was found unresponsive after he fell behind the group.

Hayashi was brought to shore, and efforts to revive him were unsuccessful. Police said he was pronounced dead at 1:33 p.m.

Hayashi had a medical history of high blood pressure and other ailments. Police said there were no signs of foul play.

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