Honolulu Star-Bulletin News /2005/05/19/

Baby wholphin named Kawili Kai

The baby wholphin recently born at Sea Life Park has been christened Kawili Kai, a name chosen by Kiana Kaleiohi of Kailua Intermediate School.

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Kawili Kai: The name, given by a Kailua student, means "blend of the ocean"

Kaleiohi won the Name Baby Wholphin drawing and essay contest, co-sponsored by the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and MidWeek. It drew 400 entries from children 5 through 14 years of age.

Kawili Kai means "blend of the ocean." The whale-dolphin hybrid was born April 15 at Sea Life Park, where a celebration was held May 15.

As the first-place winner, Kaleiohi, 12, received one annual family pass from park owner Dolphin Discovery; a choice of two interactive programs at the park with a guest; a themed party for her and her class; and a donation of marine life books to her school library.

The celebration also commemorated mother wholphin Kekaimalu's 20th birthday. The mother was the first, and presumably only, cross between an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin and false killer whale born at the park.

Luau, games mark school's 150 years

Manoa School will celebrate its 150th anniversary tomorrow, with kupuna "talk story" sessions, historic displays, old-fashioned games and a luau.

The Royal Hawaiian Band, Auntie Genoa Keawe and kumu hula Kimo Alama will perform at the luau dinner show, which runs from 5 to 7 p.m. and is already sold out.

The public is invited to enjoy "Memories of Manoa School," on display from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Manoa School Multipurpose Building, part of the new gym at Manoa Valley District Park. They include alumni interviews written by sixth-graders, as well as rarely seen historic photos, poster displays and a scrapbook of school memories of younger alumni.

Kupuna who graduated from Manoa School, including Miriam Woolsey Reed, will be on hand during the afternoon to chat about their memories of the old days.

Manoa School was founded on Oct. 11, 1854, and its present campus opened in 1952. For more information, call 988-1868.

[ Taking Notice ]

» Malie Larish of Waiakea High School and Michelle Simon and Lauren Wagner of Kealakehe High were scholarship winners to the Brown University Environmental Leadership Lab on the Big Island. The Kohala Center of Waimea coordinated the 10-day lab, which took participants to Volcano to study geology, to South Kona to study forest ecology and native plants, and to the Kona-Kohala Coast to study marine science.

» Josiah Kua and Albien Van Montero, students at Kaimuki High School and members of the Boys & Girls Club's Spalding Clubhouse in Honolulu, have been awarded $1,000 Presidential Freedom Scholarships. They received the public service awards from the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

» A Hawaii Pacific University team has won an international Crystal Award of Excellence in The Communicator Awards 2004 Video Competition for its student-produced video for the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific. The team of students was led by Jacqueline Langley, communication instructor; and Mark Nitta, Communication Video Lab manager.

>>The National Association of Student Employment Administrators has given two awards to Myrtle Ching-Rappa, director of the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Student Employment & Cooperative Education office. She received the NSEA President's Award and the John R. Griffin Service Award.

Ching-Rappa, who has been at the university for 36 years, she has been a national treasurer for five years and president for two, among other positions on the board.

"Taking Notice" also runs on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Police, Fire, Courts

By Star-Bulletin staff

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Firefighters, water drops contain Big Isle brush fire

LAPAKAHI, Hawaii » A fire of unknown origin burned about 200 acres of brush and grass land just south of Lapakahi State Historical Park in North Kohala on the Big island yesterday, Deputy Fire Chief Desmond Wery said.

The fire was contained by late afternoon by about 20 personnel, two helicopters making water drops, and a bulldozer cutting a fire break, he said. A crew of seven was left at the site during the night to prevent flare-ups.

There are no structures in the area and no one was injured, Wery said.

LEEWARD OAHU

Road flares found near site of brush fire

Honolulu firefighters found three lit road flares at the scene of a brush fire that charred two acres of land in Honokai Hale early yesterday.

The brush fire was reported at 1:30 a.m., and it took firefighters about two hours to put it out. Fire Department officials said the blaze seemed to have been intentionally set, and they urged parents to warn their children about the dangers of playing with fire.

"Unless someone had some road trouble inside the bushes ... this was intentionally set," said Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada.

HONOLULU

Suspect's brother freed in surfer's death

A 20-year-old man arrested for investigation of second-degree attempted murder in connection with a brawl Monday at the Ala Wai Boat Harbor passed a lie-detector test yesterday and was released, police sources said.

The man's brother, 18-year-old Frederick Flores, is believed to have stabbed three other people during the fight. Flores drowned in the harbor less than 50 yards from the crime scene after he ran away.

One of the victims in the brawl, noted amateur surfer Kirk Hodges, 50, died from as many as stab wounds to the heart and lungs.

Another man, Kala Kekuewa, was last listed in critical condition at the Queen's Medical Center.

A woman, Terry Lee Contreras, 42, was listed in serious condition.

Police said the fight resulted from an argument over loud music played by a group of seven to 10 young adults and juveniles who arrived in the parking lot about 2:10 a.m.

Motorist robbed after withdrawal from ATM

Honolulu police are looking for a man who allegedly robbed another man at knifepoint after the victim had gotten money from an automated teller machine in Honolulu.

The victim had already walked back to his vehicle and gotten inside when he was approached by the suspect just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

The suspect brandished a knife, took the victim's money and drove the victim's vehicle to the victim's house, police said.

When they got there, the victim fled, and the suspect also ran away, taking the victim's car keys with him.

Police are investigating the case as a robbery and kidnapping.