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Liliha Public Library to reopen next week

Liliha Public Library, which has been closed for roof replacement, will reopen at 10 a.m. Monday.

The opening had been delayed by unusually wet weather and unexpected structural problems in the rooftop parking structure.

Library hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, and 1 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.

Phone book recycling contest is extended

The deadline for the Verizon Oahu Telephone Book Recycling Contest has been extended until Sunday.

So far, 50 schools have collected more than 275,000 pounds of books, and more are coming in every day.

"We are pleased that so many schools are participating, and we want to allow time for more people to donate their telephone books and help schools reach their goals," said Paul Oshiro, director of government affairs at Verizon Hawaii.

Businesses or individuals who want to recycle their old phone books can donate them to a participating school or deliver them to Island Recycling Center on Sand Island.

Group seeks projects for visiting volunteers

The Windward Ahupuaa Alliance is seeking nonprofit groups that want to participate in its Service and Learning Tours program, set to begin next summer.

Any community-based, nonprofit organization on Oahu with a service project that could use the help of visiting volunteers during their Hawaii vacation is invited to attend a planning meeting on Saturday.

Projects that visitors would help with can be environmental or cultural in focus or can be directed toward improving people's lives by repairing schools, building new community facilities, working with special-needs individuals or supporting the arts.

The planning meeting will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in McDonald's Community Meeting Room in the Windward City Shopping Center in Kaneohe.

For more information about SALTs, call 247-6366 or 223-5535, or send an e-mail to info@waa-hawaii.org.

Nominations open for environmental honor

The Oahu Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation is accepting nominations for its second annual John Kelly Environmental Achievement Awards.

Award categories are Lifetime Achievement, Professional Surfer and Oahu-based Company. A nomination form can be obtained by sending an e-mail request to clearwater@hawaii.rr.com or by calling 391-4488. Completed forms must be received no later than Nov. 30.

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Final vote tally for Hawaii due at 11:30 p.m.

Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Anyone in line at 6 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

If you are working on Election Day, you could be entitled to a maximum of two consecutive hours off from work in order to vote. The law does not apply to employees whose work hours include a period of two consecutive hours while the polls are open when they are not working.

Voting results will be released by the Office of Elections after the polls close. The first report will contain the statewide results of absentee mail-in and absentee walk-in votes.

The second statewide release is scheduled for 9 p.m., with a final tally scheduled for 11:30 p.m.

Noelani school to be open for election today

Saturday's flooding in Manoa will not affect polling places, said Rex Quidilla, spokesman for the Office of Elections.

Even hard-hit Noelani Elementary School will be open for the election today. The cafeteria and other areas of the school were covered in mud, water and debris after a thunderstorm struck Manoa Saturday night.

Staff and faculty members and volunteers including members of the National Guard helped with the cleanup at the school.

Voters will be redirected to an alternate polling site should there be any last-minute changes, Quidilla said.

Nader disqualification on isle ballot is upheld

A state judge has upheld the disqualification of Ralph Nader as a presidential candidate in Hawaii.

State Circuit Court Judge Sabrina McKenna said yesterday that she found no reason to overturn state Chief Election Officer Dwayne Yoshina's decision that Nader supporters failed to provide enough signatures to place the independent candidate on the Hawaii ballot.

Nader supporters needed to submit a petition with 3,711 valid signatures of registered voters, which is equal to 1 percent of the votes cast in Hawaii in the previous presidential election.

Yoshina found that Nader supporters fell 373 signatures short. He also found that supporters of Constitution Party presidential candidate Michael Peroutka fell 240 signatures short.

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» The sixth annual Bernice Pauahi Bishop Awards Dinner raised more than $300,000 for Bishop Museum and honored two outstanding community members, Bert A. Kobayashi and J.W.A. "Doc" Buyers.

» The Safeway Foundation has awarded $10,000 to Catholic Charities Hawaii for its Financial Advocacy Services for seniors on Maui. The program provides budget preparation and maintenance services for seniors who can no longer manage their finances or need assistance.

» Bishop Museum has received $36,700 from the state Department of Health for the second phase of its Riparian Plan Restoration, an interactive project designed to assist in the selection of appropriate native plants for streamside restoration. Bishop Museum scientists Laura Crago, Chris Puttock and Shelley James developed the first pilot phase of the project with funding from the Tropical Technologies Consortium of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

» Snorkel Bob has donated $3,600 worth of masks, fins and snorkels to the Kauai Children's Discovery Museum as a way to help teach reef defense to future generations.

» Continental Airlines has donated four round-trip tickets to Washington, D.C., for winners and chaperones of the 2004 Congressional Art Contest for the eighth consecutive year. The winners were selected by Hawaii U.S. Reps. Neil Abercrombie and Ed Case to represent the islands in the national ceremony.

Winners were Sandy Talioga of Farrington High School, accompanied by teacher Lloyd Yamasaki; and Mary Ann Tasani of Leilehua High School, with teacher Larry Taguba.

» Kapiolani Medical Center has received a $6,250 grant from the Kiwanis California-Nevada-Hawaii Foundation for the continuing education of its 25 pediatric emergency department nurses.

» The Hawaii Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has received $15,000 from the Atherton Family Foundation to support its Resource Development Program.

» SSFM International Inc. has donated its services to design and draft a new parking lot and driveway plan for the Kau Rural Health Community Association.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

CENTRAL OAHU
Man is charged in sex assault of girl, 12

Police charged a 20-year-old man Sunday with allegedly trying to sexually assault his girlfriend's 12-year-old daughter.

Police charged Gerald R. Bunton Jr. with attempted first-degree sexual assault and kidnapping. Bail was set at $50,000.

Wahiawa police responded to a call of a female yelling for help near Wahiawa Middle School at 10:30 p.m. Friday. Later, a man also reported a girl was outside his home asking for help, police said.

Police said the girl reported her mother's boyfriend tried to sexually assault her.

Police arrested Bunton when he turned himself in Saturday.

WINDWARD OAHU
Masked men rob victim on Halloween

Police are looking for two male suspects who wore Halloween masks when they allegedly robbed a man at gunpoint in Kaneohe on Halloween.

The victim, 20, was walking along Kahekili Highway at about 10:20 p.m. Sunday when two men in Halloween masks approached him, police said. One of the suspects, wearing an Oakland Raiders mask and brandishing a black semiautomatic handgun, demanded money, police said.

The other suspect was wearing an "Alien" mask and stood 6 feet tall and had a slim build.

The gunman was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall with a muscular build.

The suspects fled on foot.

LEEWARD OAHU
2 Kalihi boys stabbed in fight in Waipahu

Two 17-year-old Kalihi boys were stabbed Sunday night in a fight at a Waipahu home, police said. One of them was in critical condition.

Police said the victims were among a group of teens that drove to Waipahu from Kalihi, stopped at a home and got into a fight.

One of the victims was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition, while the other was taken to St. Francis Medical Center West, where he was treated and released, police said.

HONOLULU
Police release drawing of bank heist suspect

Honolulu police have released a composite picture of a bank robbery suspect who hit the Kamehameha Shopping Center branch of American Savings Bank last week.

The suspect walked into the bank on Wednesday, passed a demand note, then escaped on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. This was Oahu's 13th bank robbery of the year.

The suspect is described as in his 20s, 5 feet 7 inches tall, weighing about 150 pounds with a medium build, black afro-type hair, a dark complexion and clean-shaven. He was last seen wearing a black "do-rag," black baseball cap, black Sean John pullover sweatshirt with hand-warmer pockets, oversize burnt-orange pants and dark boots.

Anyone with information about this robbery may call Detective James Nobriga directly at 692-4507. Anonymous calls may also be made to CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or by dialing *CRIME on a cellular phone.

Police seek 5 suspects in Moanalua robbery

Police are looking for five armed men who allegedly robbed a 23-year-old man Sunday night at his Moanalua home.

The man was in his garage on Ala Mahamoe Street at about 10:30 p.m. when five armed men allegedly demanded money and the keys to a motorcycle, police said.

The victim told police four of the men were armed with shotguns, and one had an automatic weapon, a Mac-10.

Police said the man had no money in his pockets and told the men he did not know where the keys to the motorcycle were. The suspects left with a pack of cigarettes, police said.

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Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers