Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News

[ TAKING NOTICE ]

>> Macy's West was recognized by state Sen. Lorraine Inouye (D, Hilo, Hamakua, Waimea), for its Thanks for Sharing community program, which raised $195,000 for local charities. From Oct. 15, 2003 through Jan. 10, 2004, Macy's Hawaii stores participated in the fundraiser, boasting seven of the top 10 achievers among 141 stores in seven states and Guam. The stores included Ala Moana, Downtown, Hilo, Kahala, Kailua, Pearlridge and Windward Mall.

>>For the second year in a row, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply came in second place in the women's division at the national pipetapping championship, sponsored by the American Water Works Association. Team members are Anna Tanaka, Carolyn Sawai, Danielle Ornellas, and coach Gary Fernandez.

The men's state pipetapping champion team members -- including Andrew Freitas, Everett Arquero, Aaron Asato and Glenn Ah Yat -- came in sixth nationally.

>> Joann C. Matsuo, a 2003 graduate of Leeward Community College's Television Production program, has been selected as one of 15 international candidates for the Director's Guild of America's two-year assistant directors training program. Matsuo is working on the TV series, "North Shore."

CHEMICAL SCARE IN HAUULA

BARRY MARKOWITZ / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN
Kela Miller comforted Hauula resident Kathy Silva yesterday after Silva and her family were evacuated from their home. Silva's son and daughter-in-law looked on. Honolulu Fire Department and ambulance crews responded to a call of an ammonia smell at 54-265 Kawaihemo Place at about 9:15 a.m. A woman and her child were treated at the scene for respiratory problems, and about a dozen homes in the area were evacuated as a precaution. The Fire Department's hazardous-waste teams found no trace of any chemical. Residents returned to their homes two hours later.

HPD says suspect burned his neighbor

Honolulu police arrested a man for allegedly setting his neighbor on fire yesterday during a dispute in the Punchbowl area.

The victim, a 37-year-old male, was reported in fair condition with second-degree burns and was treated yesterday at Straub Clinic & Hospital.

Police said the suspect, a 40-year-old male, shattered the driver's side window of the victim's vehicle near Bush Lane and Lusitana Street. The suspect then squirted gasoline out of a shampoo bottle on the victim in the car and set him on fire, police said.

The victim ran off with the suspect chasing him, police said.

The victim escaped by jumping into a nearby vehicle driven by a passing motorist and went to Honolulu District Court to find a police officer, police said.

The suspect surrendered to a police officer in the area and was arrested on suspicion of second-degree attempted murder.

Case has bill to grow Hawaii Volcanoes Park

HILO >> U.S. Rep. Ed Case has introduced a bill in Congress that would expand Hawaii Volcanoes National Park by 656 acres near the south end of the island.

The acreage is a part of the former Kahuku Ranch that lies below Hawaii Belt Highway.

At Sept. 2 ceremonies dedicating 116,000 acres of the former ranch above the highway to the Volcanoes park, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye announced that he and Case would seek to acquire a final piece of the ranch.

The acreage below the highway is the site of the ranch headquarters, which date back to the late 1800s, plus three volcanic pit craters.

Acquisition of the ranch buildings would permit their use as satellite headquarters of the park, Case said. The headquarters at Kilauea crater are 43 miles to the northeast.

Verizon boosts school prize for recycling

Verizon has increased the cash prizes for its telephone book recycling contest and also has a new prize category that will give all schools that recycle more than 1,000 phone books a $100 award.

The school that recycles the most phone books will receive $2,000. Other prizes are $1,000 for second place, $500 for third and fourth place, and $250 for each of the fifth- through eighth-place winners.

The contest, designed to encourage environmental awareness, runs through Oct. 31. Schools can register by calling Yvonne Miranda at 546-7335 for the recycling information packet.

Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin staff

HONOLULU
Police seek missing man with early Alzheimer's

Police are asking for the public's help finding a missing 66-year-old man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

Robert F. Sato was last seen yesterday when his brother dropped him off at a bank in Waikiki, police said. Sato is said to be in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and could be disoriented.

Sato is 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighs about 120 pounds, has brown eyes and is balding with short gray hair. Police said he usually wears a baseball cap and glasses and mostly uses public transportation.

Witnesses to this case may call Investigator Calvin Sung at 529-3081. Anonymous calls may also be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or by dialing *CRIME on a cellular phone.

Police arrest fugitive in stolen vehicle

CrimeStoppers announced the arrest of the seventh of 10 fugitives who were featured on the front page of MidWeek last month.

Patrick Antolin, 29, was arrested Saturday on warrants totaling $83,000 in bail for domestic violence and felony contempt cases.

Police said they arrested him in a stolen vehicle and that he could face additional charges.

Woman allegedly bites HPD officer on hand

Police arrested a 43-year-old woman for allegedly assaulting two female police officers in Salt Lake on Sunday.

Police said the officers were sent to check on an argument along Ala Napuaa Place about 3:23 a.m. The suspect asked them to help her retrieve her possessions from her boyfriend's apartment, police said.

Police said the suspect got upset and started screaming when the officers found the apartment dark and no one answered the door. A security guard asked her to leave, police said.

The suspect then rushed the security guard, and one of the officers grabbed her, police said. The suspect then punched the officer in the face, police said.

The second officer then grabbed the woman, but the suspect bit her left hand, police said.

Police arrested the woman for two counts of first-degree assault on a police officer. The officers were treated and released.

Teenage girl reports kidnapping and assault

A 17-year-old Honolulu girl told police she was kidnapped Saturday by a man in downtown Honolulu, taken to another location and sexually assaulted.

The man was described as in his 20s. The alleged kidnapping and assault occurred between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday. The suspect faces first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping charges.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Fire causes $500,000 in damage to condos

KAILUA-KONA >> A fire of unknown cause in a state affordable housing unit at La'ilani above Kailua-Kona caused $500,000 in damage to the apartment building yesterday, the Hawaii County Fire Department said.

All eight units in the building were occupied, but residents were safely evacuated to adjoining vacant units in the apartment complex owned by the Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawaii, the department said.

Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers