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ACADEMIC AWARDS

» The 2004 Rita Thompson Music Scholarship winners are piano students Mitchell Kuga of Moanalua High School, Evan Lin of Momilani Elementary, Blaise Tom of St. Louis and percussion student Casey Kawahara of Highlands Intermediate.

» The College of Education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has appointed Ronald H. Heck to the Dai Ho Chun Endowed Chair. Heck is a professor and chairman of the Department of Educational Administration in the college. He has written and conducted research in the areas of educational policy, performance assessment and research methods.

» The West Honolulu Rotary Club Foundation has awarded eight scholarships totaling $11,000 to graduating seniors. The 2004 David Malo Scholarship was awarded to Rosanne Enoka of Lahainaluna High. The 2004 Al Hastings Scholarships went to May Arvie Godoy, Amber Kubota and Alma Mantua of Farrington High; and Ihilani Hirakawa, Kurtis Nakamura, Mika Tanji and Justin Yoshida of Moanalua.

GRANTS

» C&S Wholesale Grocers has awarded $40,000 to the Hawaii Foodbank Ohana Produce Program for the distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables to Oahu's Leeward communities.

» The Hawaii Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving has received $10,000 from the Cooke Foundation Ltd. to support its Resource Development Program.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

HONOLULU
Girl's fireworks injury leads to man's arrest

Police have arrested a 33-year-old Waipahu man who allegedly made and detonated a homemade bomb that severely injured the wrist and hand of an 11-year-old Ewa Beach girl.

After the media reported Cydnee Somera's story this week, many witnesses to the New Year's Day incident called police.

The majority of tipsters were seventh- and eighth-graders, said police Detective Eric Yiu. The children came forward "because they saw the girl on the news and saw how pitiful she was," he said.

Somera was injured in Aiea when a homemade bomb or an illegal aerial placed in a bucket detonated on the ground, damaging four parked vehicles nearby, one of which she was standing behind, police said.

The man was tracked down at his workplace and turned himself in at the main police station at 7:30 p.m. yesterday. He was arrested for suspicion of first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree assault. He was released pending investigation.

Tip leads police to prison escapee

Deputy sheriffs have captured one of two inmates who walked away from the Laumaka Work Furlough Center this week.

Louie Saya left the Oahu Community Correctional Center's work furlough center Sunday night. CrimeStoppers received a tip on his whereabouts and arrested him without incident yesterday. The state Department of Public Safety said he faces an additional five years' imprisonment for the escape.

Another inmate, Jeffrey Chevalier, escaped Monday.

Anyone with information on Chevalier is asked to call CrimeStoppers 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone, or the Deputy Sheriff dispatch at 538-5696.