Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
U.S. troops on the ball in Iraq
Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 14th Regiment, of the 25th Infantry Division, based in Hawaii, play baseball to relieve war tension at Camp Duke, on the outskirts of Najaf, Iraq.
Visitors are stranded in Tongan airline crisis
WELLINGTON, New Zealand >> Foreign tourists were stranded yesterday on the Pacific island nation of Tonga after owners repossessed the troubled flag carrier's only plane that flies international routes, officials said.Cash-strapped Royal Tonga Airlines was also facing court action from creditors demanding repayment, aviation sources said during the weekend on condition of anonymity.
The state-run airline had been leasing a Boeing 757 from Royal Brunei Airlines since November to use on flights to Honolulu, Sydney and Auckland, New Zealand.
However, Royal Brunei seized the plane on Friday, the aviation sources said.
About 500 passengers were stranded by the airline's sudden suspension of services, Royal Tonga said.
"During the next three weeks, some 1,300 passengers were booked to travel on Royal Tongan Airlines," it said in a statement yesterday, adding about 800 had been reaccommodated.
A senior diplomat involved in crisis budget talks with Tonga said Sunday the impoverished South Pacific kingdom simply did not have the money to pay for the plane.
Isles first state to ID drug-resistant STD
Hawaii was the first state in the nation to identify a drug-resistant strain of gonorrhea, state health officials said.Experts said yesterday that the government is expected to recommend this week that doctors switch to another antibiotic for treating gonorrhea because of an alarming rise in drug-resistant cases of the sexually transmitted disease.
The class of antibiotics commonly used to treat gonorrhea, including Cipro, is no longer effective against certain strains of the bacteria, said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, deputy health officer and director of STD prevention for the San Francisco Department of Public Health.
In place of Cipro, administered as a pill, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to recommend ceftriaxone, which is less convenient because it is injected, Klausner told the Associated Press.
Hawaii was one of the first states to start using ceftriaxone to treat gonorrhea, said Roy Ohye, STD program coordinator at the state Department of Health.
Cipro-resistant gonorrhea has apparently spread eastward across the country after first appearing 15 years ago in Southeast Asia.
"Because we're the state closest to the Far East, we are very vigilant toward testing for any antibiotic resistance to gonorrhea," Ohye said.
BACK TO TOP |
Taking Notice
>> Mitchell Kai, of Honolulu, has been promoted to the rank of Eagle Scout by the Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He belongs to Troop 201, which is chartered by Maemae School in Nuuanu.>> Florence Yee became director of the Hawaii State Library on March 1. She succeeded Jo Ann Schindler, who was appointed state librarian by the Board of Education in October. Yee had been acting director of the library since July 16.
>> The National Association of Social Workers, Hawaii Chapter, has given Arlynna Howell Livingston its 2004 Social Worker of the Year award. Other Social Worker of the Year awards were given to Arlene McCormack, in family and child welfare; Janelle Young-Ogata, in gerontology; Teresa Gonsalves, in medical; June Shimokawa, in social justice; and Pam Lichty, Friend of Social Work.
>> State Sen. Melodie Aduja has recognized environmental professional Diane Drigot for her years of community service in Kaneohe and Windward Oahu. Drigot has overseen the conservation of natural and wildlife resources at Marine Corps Base Hawaii for more than 21 years, securing millions in funds and hundreds of volunteers for projects. Drigot was also named "Citizen of the Year" last December by the Kaneohe Neighborhood Board.
>> Nancy Johnson, coordinator of the Maui Community College Nursing and Health Program, has been recognized as the Hawaii Nurses Association's 2003 Nurse of the Year. She has been a professor at the college since 1983. She helped to established the MCC Dental Assisting Program and the Maui Oral Health Center to give service to uninsured or underserved residents.
>> The state's Vocational Rehabilitation and Services for the Blind Division has recognized Safeway Food and Drug in Hilo as the 2003 Outstanding Employer of the Year, and store employee Clayton Enoka as the Outstanding Rehabilitant of the Year. Enoka began in 2002 as a courtesy clerk and was promoted to general merchandising, and then cashier stock clerk within 10 months.
>> The Friends of Iolani Palace has received a $15,700 Organizational Capacity Building grant from the Hawaii Community Foundation for renewing and developing new goals.
"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 staffHONOLULU
A firefighter walked past a basket used yesterday to retrieve a man's body floating in the middle of Honolulu Harbor. The body was spotted by workers yesterday morning.
Workers find body floating in harbor
Workers from Pacific Environmental Corp. discovered a body floating in Honolulu Harbor yesterday.The body was spotted in the middle of the harbor about 7 a.m. when workers arrived at work. Police said there was no indication of foul play and classified the case as an unattended death.
At first, workers were not sure what was in the water. Kalani Kahue, a technician, took a boat out to find the body floating face down in the water.
Workers called the police and brought the body to Pier 14. The victim was described as an Asian man in his 20s. He was wearing brown sweat pants with white stripes on the sides.
Police suspect the body was in the harbor since Sunday night.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
