Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Big Isle advances plan to protect open spaces
HILO >> Hawaii County took a first step yesterday toward creating a fund to buy open spaces to protect them from development.The County Council's Finance Committee approved a measure that would allow voters to decide whether the fund should be mandated in the county Charter.
The measure would require placement in the fund of up to 2 percent of annual property tax revenues, or about $2.5 million.
The measure would enable federal matching funds of up to 80 percent of land purchase costs, said Josh Stanbro of the private Trust for Public Lands, which backs the measure.
The proposal was supported by the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce and the Hawaii Leeward Planning Conference.
Council panel OKs new proposal for Rusti
Plans to keep Rusti the orangutan at the Honolulu Zoo are back in motion.The City Council's Parks Committee approved changes yesterday in a proposed agreement between the city and Orangutan Foundation International, the nonprofit group that owns him. The changes clarify that:
>> The Honolulu Zoo director will have authority over Rusti's care, despite the fact that a foundation employee will care for the animal most of the time.
>> The foundation will pay for a larger cage for Rusti.
>> Any money raised by the foundation at the Honolulu Zoo would be used only for improvements at the zoo.
The Parks Committee also required that the city administration provide a letter from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association withdrawing its concern about the former agreement endangering the Honolulu Zoo's accreditation, said committee Chairman Mike Gabbard.
The full Council is expected to consider the Orangutan Foundation's gift of an enclosure for Rusti at its June 4 meeting, Gabbard said.
Las Vegas virus still considered active
The rate of new Norwalk virus cases in Las Vegas fluctuated over the past couple of weeks and has yet to reach a sustained decline.Eight complaints were reported to the Clark County Health District between May 8 and May 14, compared with two complaints between May 1 and May 7, spokesman David Tonelli said. Ten complaints were reported between April 24 and April 30.
A total of 1,680 cases were reported between Dec. 3 and Monday. Those who reported contracting the illness visited or stayed at the California Hotel & Casino, a favorite with visitors from Hawaii.
Health officials will consider the outbreak over when they see four complaints or fewer each week over a month.
Family fun run aimed at helping Oahu baby
Free bone marrow registration will be conducted 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the fourth annual Hawaii County Fire Department Emergency Medical Services 5-kilometer family fun run and 2-mile walk at Liliuokalani Park in Hilo.The Hawaii Bone Marrow Donor Registry at St. Francis Medical Center is conducting the drive as one of a series focused on 18-month-old Ryan Ma, an Oahu baby with a rare blood disease. Other Hawaii patients also are waiting for matches.
Asian and Pacific Islander donors particularly are needed. Donors must be between 18 and 60 years of age and in general good health. A small blood sample is collected for tissue typing and the potential donor is placed on the Hawaii and National Donor Registries.
For more information, call 547-6154.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffLEEWARD OAHU
Ewa man arrested for alleged sexual assault
Police arrested a 48-year-old Ewa man for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl. The girl reported Monday evening that the man touched her inappropriately several times.Police arrested the man for third-degree sexual assault.
Pedestrian fatality ID'd as Waipahu man
The Medical Examiner's Office identified the pedestrian who was killed in a chain-reaction accident in Waipahu on Thursday as 44-year-old Rodrigo Albano of Waipahu.Albano was hit by a manapua van that was parked along Paiwa Street, according to police. The van had been pushed into Albano by another parked car that was hit by a Toyota Camry. The Camry was fleeing an earlier accident at high speed, police said. A woman in the Camry and the vendor in the manapua van, a woman, were taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition following the accident.
WINDWARD OAHU
Diver who drowned was Hawaii Kai man
The diver whose body washed ashore near Laie Point on Monday morning was identified as 61-year-old Ronald Sasaki of Hawaii Kai.The Medical Examiner's Office determined that Sasaki drowned.
Sasaki had been reported missing by his family at 10:30 p.m. Sunday when he failed to return home from fishing in Laie. Police do not suspect foul play.
HONOLULU
Ex-boyfriend arrested for alleged sex assault
Police arrested a 31-year-old man Sunday for allegedly kidnapping and trying to sexually assault his ex-girlfriend.The 26-year-old Kalihi woman reported to police on May 3 her ex-boyfriend entered her apartment without permission, then restrained her and tried to sexually assault her.
Police found the suspect Sunday and arrested him for outstanding warrants. He was later arrested for attempted first-degree sexual assault, first-degree burglary and kidnapping.
Suspect in Kakaako shooting death dies
A 52-year-old man, the suspect in an apparent murder and attempted suicide May 12 at a Kakaako hostess bar, died yesterday.Hwa Yong Park, 52, the estranged boyfriend of Club Queen Bee employee Sun Wang, allegedly shot Wang twice, then shot himself in the head.
Wang, 47, died Thursday.
Police said the two were found in the employees' break room and were taken to area hospitals in critical condition.
Court documents show Wang had lived with Park, but he refused to accept the fact that the relationship had ended.
Wang had filed restraining orders against Park after he allegedly raped, abused and threatened to kill her if he found her with another man.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui house destroyed during renovation
WAILUKU >> A fire a little after midnight yesterday destroyed a Maui house under renovation. Assistant Fire Chief Frank Tam said damage to the one-story house at 451 Hana Highway in Paia was estimated at $187,000.Tam said the cause of the fire was under investigation. Firefighters took close to an hour to control the blaze after the alarm was received at 12:19 a.m.
Kauai man arrested after driving off road
LIHUE >> A 24-year-old Kapaa man who allegedly tried to hit two Kauai police officers with his vehicle when they approached him in his parked car shortly before midnight Saturday has been arrested for attempted murder, police said yesterday.After a short pursuit, the man drove off the road into a ditch and was arrested. A passenger in his car was arrested on drug charges.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
