Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Driver of car on rims hits other cars before capture
A vehicle riding only on its rims with no tires led state deputy sheriffs on a wild chase that included several collisions in the airport and Salt Lake areas before it was finally stopped last night, according to the sheriff’s office.The incident started at about 7:45 p.m. when deputy sheriffs spotted a car riding on its bare rims, weaving in and out of traffic at Waiwai Loop and Lagoon Drive.
Deputy sheriffs gave chase but lost sight of the vehicle after the vehicle as it headed to Koapaka Street, according to Kalihi police.
Witnesses told police that there were several accidents as a result of the chase.
The suspect also collided with the sheriff’s vehicle, according to a statement from the Honolulu Airport sheriffs office.
The vehicle was eventually stopped at the intersection of Puuloa Road and Salt Lake Boulevard, police said.
Sheriffs arrested the male driver and said he was in possession of crystal methamphetamine.
Sheriffs would not say for what offenses the suspect had been arrested and did not provide more details of the incident.
The suspect was taken by ambulance to the hospital, but sheriffs would not comment on any injuries.
Likelike Highway lanes to close for weekend
All Kaneohe-bound lanes on the Likelike Highway will be closed this weekend between Nalanieha Street and the Wilson Tunnel from 8 p.m. tomorrow to 4 a.m. Monday for pavement reconstruction.The weekend closure is needed because the contractor will dig about three feet into the ground for the pavement work, according to a Department of Transportation news release.
One Honolulu-bound lane also will be closed near the Wilson Tunnel from 8 tonight to place concrete barriers in preparation for major maintenance on the tunnel in September.
The concrete barriers will be used to contraflow traffic in the Honolulu-bound direction, while the Kaneohe-bound lanes of the tunnel are closed for 30 days as part of a $13.8 million project to perform repair and drainage work on the tunnels.
Once that work in the Kaneohe-bound tunnel is completed and the tunnel reopened, the town-bound tunnel will be closed for 30 days.
It will take another five or six months to complete improvements to the tunnel and adjacent roadway.
Hurricane season sees its first major storm
The first hurricane of the season has formed in the eastern Pacific.Hurricane Celia, about 2,000 miles east southeast of Hawaii, is moving west at about 7 mph.
The storm has sustained winds of about 75 mph with gusts up to 92 mph. It is expected to dissipate by Sunday, well before it comes close to Hawaii.
The National Weather Service says the storm might send some additional clouds, humidity and possibly higher surf as its remnants approach the islands.
Applicants sought for Manila exchange trip
The Rotary Clubs of Hawaii are seeking applicants for a group study exchange team that will travel to Manila from Feb. 12 to March 15.Applicants must be non-Rotarian young professionals between the ages of 25 and 40, must not be related to a Rotarian and must be Hawaii residents and U.S. citizens.
Successful applicants will be personable, articulate, cooperative and enthusiastic about their vocations.
No language training is necessary, but members must be willing to undertake other preparation for the month-long trip.
Rotary International and the host district pay for all air fare, lodging, food and local transportation.
For application forms, e-mail Mark Moore at hale1632@aol.com or fax him at 734-3235. The application deadline is Sept. 15.
2 lectures to focus on obesity and epilepsy
Weight management and women and epilepsy will be topics of two free special lectures Wednesday at the Queen's Medical Center.Dr. Kenric Murayama, medical director for minimally invasive surgery at Queen's, will discuss "From Overweight to Morbid Obesity: Regaining Control" at 5 p.m.
He will cover the latest weight management treatment options, including surgery, to treat morbid obesity.
At 6 p.m., Dr. Alan Stein, epileptologist, and Karen Hipp, registered nurse, will discuss the effects of hormones on seizures and epilepsy, fertility and pregnancy planning and minimizing risks of birth defects for women with epilepsy.
Both presentations will be at the Queen's Conference Center Auditorium, 510 S. Beretania St., corner of Beretania and Punchbowl streets.
Call the Queen's Referral Line, 537-7117, for more information or to register. Reservations are required because of limited space. Parking is available for $3 in the Miller Street parking garage.
Several grants will aid Waikiki's uninsured
The Waikiki Health Center has received more than $114,000 in grants to expand its medical care services to uninsured, low-income or homeless residents.They include $40,000 from the McInerny Foundation, $20,000 from the Mary D. and Walter F. Fear Eleemosynary Trust, $10,000 from the Gannett Foundation and $10,000 from the Kaiser Permanente Foundation.
The center also received $22,000 through the Hawaii Community Foundation's Organizational Capacity Building program.
Other grants include $7,500 from the Cooke Foundation and $5,000 from the Atherton Family Foundation.
The Waikiki Health Center has provided medical care and social services to Oahu residents for more than 30 years. It operates a Primary Care Clinic and Youth Outreach Adolescent Clinic in Waikiki and a Care-A-Van Clinic that serves homeless across the island. It also has satellite clinics in Haleiwa, Kahaluu and Punaluu.
Other health center programs assist elderly residents of Waikiki and people with HIV/AIDS and other diseases.
Cancer patients in isles and Guam get donation
The American Cancer Society Hawaii Pacific Inc. has received $42,020 from Macy's West for programs to reduce cancer incidence and mortality and improve life for cancer patients in Hawaii and Guam.The donation was the result of a "Thanks for Sharing" fund-raising campaign by the 17 Macy's stores in Hawaii and one in Guam.
For information about American Cancer Society programs, call 595-7500 or see www.cancer.org
Monthly sessions offer information on kidneys
St. Francis Renal Institute of the Pacific will hold a free informational session for residents having kidney problems, from 1 to 3 p.m. the fourth Wednesday of every month.Family members are welcome at the class in the Weinberg Medical Office Pavilion Building, fifth floor, St. Francis Medical Center, 2226 Liliha St.
For more information, call 547-6306.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHONOLULU
3 juveniles arrested for alleged sex assault
Three juveniles allegedly sexually assaulted a 7-year-old girl during an 11-month period, police said.The girl told family members recently that three boys have been sexually assaulting her since August 2003.
Police arrested the juveniles Monday at Luapele Drive in Makalapa for suspicion of third-degree sexual assault. All three were released pending investigation.
WEST OAHU
Ewa Beach house fire leaves 3 homeless
A single-family home on Makule Road in Ewa Beach went up in flames last night, leaving two men and a woman homeless.No injuries were reported. One woman was home at the time of the fire.
The fire caused an estimated $125,000 in damage to the home and its contents.
"The entire inside is fully gutted," said Fire Capt. Emmit Kane. "It's definitely uninhabitable."
American Red Cross of Hawaii officials were expected to assist the displaced residents. Their ages were not available.
The home at 91-772 Makule Road caught fire at about 8:30 p.m. The blaze was under control 24 minutes later.
Fire investigators were looking into the cause of the fire last night. Kane said it may have been caused by unattended cooking.
WINDWARD OAHU
Man, 41, held after girl claims sex assault
Police arrested a 41-year-old man in Kailua on Monday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl over a period of a year and a half.Police said the girl disclosed that an acquaintance had sexually assaulted her several times from Feb. 28, 2003, to July 13, 2004.
The man was arrested for suspicion of third-degree sex assault and was released pending investigation.
Third man is arrested in robbery, kidnapping
Police charged a 28-year-old man yesterday with second-degree robbery and kidnapping in connection with an incident in June. Caitlin Gentzler was being held in lieu of $75,000 bail.On June 26 at 12:30 a.m., a man stopped his truck in Kaneohe and asked three men for directions, police said. The men offered to show him the way and got into his truck, but instead of helping him, they forced him to strip, and drove him in his truck around Kahaluu, police said.
The victim escaped and police later recovered the truck, which had been abandoned in Kaneohe.
Police earlier arrested the two other suspects and charged one of them with kidnapping and robbery.
CENTRAL OAHU
Stubborn Kunia blaze frustrates firefighters
Honolulu firefighters worked through much of yesterday to contain a flare-up at the week-long Kunia brush fire, which they thought they had all but extinguished.The fire, which started in a gulch at a pineapple field across from the Hawaii Country Club on Kunia Road, has burned about 220 acres since July 14.
On Tuesday, Honolulu Fire Department officials said the fire was mostly contained and almost out. But yesterday a higher, harder-to-get-to area started to burn, and crews worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. to keep the flames from spreading.
A Fire Department dispatcher said that crews would likely return to the brush fire's site in the morning to put out hot spots and ensure the blaze does not spread.
The Oahu Nature Conservancy is worried the fire may have damaged a habitat of the elepaio, an endangered Hawaiian forest bird. As soon as the blaze is extinguished, biologists are expected to assess its affect on the environment.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
COURTESY PHOTO
Whitney Souza: The girl, 14, stands 5 feet 1 and has a medium build and fair complexion
Police seek Hilo girl missing since June 7
Big Island police are looking for a 14-year-old girl who was reported missing from her Hilo home June 7.Whitney Souza is described as 5 feet 1 inch tall, 115 pounds with a medium build, fair complexion, long brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective John Ancheta at 961-2276, the nonemergency police number at 935-3311 or CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 808-329-8181 in Kona.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
