Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Canoe reaches Kauai after Midway voyage
HANALEI, Kauai >> The voyaging canoe Hokule'a returned to Hanalei Bay again yesterday, arriving one day short of a month after leaving Kauai for a 1,200-mile journey through the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.Crew members said they were stunned by the amount of sea life they found in areas that never had been fished. They said they found large schools of huge mullet at Midway Atoll that must have been common throughout Hawaii two centuries ago.
The voyage is part of a project called "Navigating Change," which is aimed at raising public awareness of the environmental decline in the Hawaiian Islands.
The canoe was scheduled to leave this morning on a 20-plus hour trip back to Oahu.
Crew members said they came back from Midway much of the way under tow from the Hokule'a's escort boat.
HPD reinstates homicide lieutenant
A Honolulu Police Department homicide lieutenant who was temporarily demoted after the death of a police officer under his command is set to be reinstated on Aug. 1.Former Lt. Bill Kato was demoted to sergeant and reassigned to the receiving desk this year as a disciplinary action after Glen Gaspar was shot by fugitive Shane Mark during an attempt to arrest him on March 4, 2003, in Kapolei.
Police union officials fought the disciplinary action, however. Kato is set to return as the head of HPD's homicide detail at the end of the six-month disciplinary period, replacing Lt. David Kamai.
Three detectives and one patrol officer also faced disciplinary action after Gaspar's death and the union has also filed grievances in their cases. Those grievances are still pending. One of the detectives disciplined has since retired.
Kaiser drug mix-up may affect 54 patients
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii is contacting 54 patients, some of whom may have received the wrong medication.The pills involved are spironolactone and digoxin, which are usually taken together to treat heart conditions.
Kaiser Permanente officials the earliest the error could have occurred is June 7. Officials say they think one member has a bottle that contains both pills but are contacting more members to be certain.
Members with questions should contact their doctor.
Corazon Aquino to be honored
The East-West Center Foundation will present an award to former Philippines President Corazon Aquino for restoring democracy in her country.A dinner to celebrate the Philippine culture will begin at 6 p.m. July 14 at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom. The event will start with cocktails and a silent auction featuring items from Asia and the Pacific. Dinner and a program will follow at 7 p.m.
Aquino will be presented the Asia Pacific Community Building Award. She was the first woman elected president of the Philippines, serving from 1986 to 1992.
Pianist Chris Cerna and the Wayne Mendoza Ensemble will perform. Miss America 2001 Angela Baraquio will serve as mistress of ceremonies.
Seats are $150 each, with 10-person tables available at $1,500, $3,000, $5,000 and $10,000.
For reservations, call the East-West Center at 944-7105. For more information on the event or to preview the silent auction, go to www.EastWestCenter.org.
Divorce expert will present free seminar
The Family Court of the First Circuit will present "Divorce Law in Hawaii" tomorrow from noon to 1 p.m. in the Supreme Court courtroom, on the second floor of Aliiolani Hale at 417 South King St.The free program features divorce attorney William C. Darrah, who will give an overview of custody and visitation, division of property, child support, alimony and other matters relating to divorce.
Darrah specializes in financially complex matrimonial matters and is editor of the monthly Journal of Hawaii Family Law and the annual Hawaii Divorce Manual.
For more information, call the First Circuit Court Operations Office at 539-4448.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffPolice arrest suspect, 37, in string of bank heists
Honolulu police have caught a 37-year-old man who they say has robbed four banks in two months.The suspect allegedly robbed the Kailua branch of Hawaii National Bank on Monday morning.
Police arrested the suspect later that night and identified him as the same suspect who robbed the Moiliili branch of Central Pacific Bank on June 14, the Kaneohe branch of City Bank on June 1, and the American Savings Bank Kalihi branch on May 26.
LEEWARD OAHU
Empty kayak found drifting off Waianae The discovery of an 18-foot-long, two-person kayak with no one on board prompted a search by U.S. Coast Guard officials off Waianae yesterday.
A 42-foot commercial fishing vessel named the Seahawk reported finding the orange kayak at 2 p.m. yesterday about nine miles off of Waianae Boat Harbor.
In the kayak were fishing poles, a spear, a snorkel, and fins but no sign of people or signs of people in the area.
The Coast Guard has not received any missing person reports at this time.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Baby with broken ribs improves at hospital KAILUA-KONA >> The condition of a 6-week-old Kona baby has "improved somewhat" following a child abuse report Saturday, but she remains in critical condition at Kapiolani Medical Center, Kona police said yesterday.
The infant's parents originally took her to Kona Community Hospital's emergency room, saying she was having difficulty breathing. Doctors determined that she was suffering from broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a punctured lung, police said.
The infant is now breathing on her own and no longer needs blood transfusions, they said.
Her father, 28, and mother, 22, were arrested at the hospital for endangering the welfare of a minor, but were released pending investigation. The baby has been placed in protective custody, police said.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
