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Taking Notice

» Island Insurance Foundation has given the $25,000 Masayuki Tokioka Excellence in School Leadership Award to Waianae's Leihoku Elementary School Principal Randall A.K. Miura. He received a $10,000 cash award and $5,000 for a school project of his choice.

The two semifinalists, Principal Christina Small of King Liholiho Elementary in Kaimuki and Nancy Sorderberg of Konawaena Middle on the Big Island, received $2,000.

» Brookfield Homes Hawaii has donated $5,500 to the Hawaiian language immersion school Punana Leo O Kawaiahao, to assist its early-education program. In addition, Brookfield employees donated funds by holding a recycling drive.

>> American Savings Bank gave $1,000 to the second-grade class of Nuuanu Elementary School for winning the K-6 category of its Careers in Banking contest. The students drew pictures or wrote essays on what they would do with $1 million to spend on their community.

» The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has awarded $25,000 to the Papakolea Community Development Corp. to support its new technology and resource center, and $24,999 to Kula No Na Po'e Hawaii for its Rise Up for Literacy Project to improve children's reading skills at Lincoln Elementary School.

» EK Fernandez Shows has donated $10,000 to the Honolulu Armed Services YMCA's Injured and Fallen Hero Fund.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Man's face is burned in Molokai house fire

A Molokai man said he was doing OK and might be released within a few days from a Honolulu hospital, after suffering second-degree burns to his face in a house fire.

Walter Baba, 77, a former pineapple plantation worker, said he planned to stay with relatives in Hoolehua in central Molokai after his release from Straub Hospital.

Baba was taken to Molokai General Hospital on Sunday and later transferred to Straub, which specializes in treating burn victims.

Baba said he thinks the blaze started from an unattended cooking fire in the kitchen of his home in Kualapuu in central Molokai.

Although hurt, Baba was standing across the street from the burning house when firefighters arrived to put out the blaze, Capt. Steve Legare said.

A firefighter required 13 stitches after receiving a cut on the wrist while trying to open windows in the house to clear it from smoke.

Legare said about 60 percent of the house was engulfed in flames when the firefighters arrived, and they took nearly an hour to get the blaze under control after the alarm at 12:26 p.m.

Battalion Chief Alan Pascua said the damaged totaled $150,000 to the structure and contents.

WAIKIKI

Assault victim missing after suspect's arrest

Police arrested a 22-year-old man for allegedly assaulting another man in Waikiki on Sunday, but police were having trouble locating the victim.

Witnesses said the suspect assaulted the victim near a liquor store about 4 a.m. and took his cell phone from his pants pocket, then both parties were seen leaving the scene together. Police were called and arrested the suspect when he came back to the scene for investigation of second-degree robbery and driving without a license.

Police learned the identity of the victim, 22, but had not found him as of 9 a.m. yesterday.

Swimmer found dead near Queen's Surf

A 43-year-old man died Sunday in waters off Queen's Surf beach in Waikiki.

The man was found floating face down in the water about 10:57 a.m. Police said he was known to have a previous medical condition and suffered from seizures.

An autopsy will determine the cause of death.

WINDWARD OAHU

Man dies while diving off Kualoa Beach Park

A 46-year-old man apparently drowned Sunday in waters off Kualoa Beach Park. Police said the man had been free-diving with a friend between 2 and 2:30 p.m. when he was found unconscious about a mile offshore from the park.

Witnesses helped get the victim to shore, and he was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

Police classified the case as an unattended death.