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Man is indicted in sex assaults on boy

An Oahu grand jury indicted a 42-year-old Hawaii Kai man Wednesday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy over five years.

Christopher G. Chung was indicted on nine counts of sexual assault, six counts of first-degree sexual assault and three counts of third-degree sexual assault.

According to an indictment, Chung allegedly fondled the boy and had him perform oral sex between July 30, 2000, and Aug. 20.

Chung was arrested Friday on six counts of first-degree sexual assault and 11 counts of third-degree sexual assault.

Grants are extended for college prep aid

The University of Hawaii has been awarded $18.1 million by the U.S. Department of Education to help more than 20,000 middle and high school students prepare for college.

The award extends two existing GEAR UP grants -- $15.3 million for statewide efforts and $2.8 million for this year's sixth and seventh graders at Kalakaua Middle School. The grants are spread out over six years.

GEAR UP, which stands for Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, strives to increase college opportunities for low-income students in postsecondary education through academic preparation and college awareness beginning in the middle school years.

Reeber chosen for state parole board

Gov. Linda Lingle has appointed Roy W. Reeber, a college professor and business consultant, to the Hawaii Paroling Authority.

Reeber replaces Ed Slavish on the three-member panel. Slavish, appointed by Lingle two years ago, resigned earlier this year. Reeber's appointment is effective immediately and is subject to state Senate confirmation. His term will end June 30, 2007.

He joins chairman Albert Tufono and Dane Oda on the board, which establishes the minimum terms of imprisonment, grants or denies parole, revokes parole when necessary and provides supervision for parolees.

Mililani library extends its hours

Starting Tuesday, Mililani Public Library will add five hours per week to its operating hours by opening one hour earlier each day.

Its new schedule is:

Forums to explain new Medicare benefit

Maui and Oahu residents are invited to two public forums next week that will explain the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

The Maui forum will be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. tomorrow at Maui Economic Opportunity, 99 Mahalani St., The Honolulu event is from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Pacific Beach Hotel.

U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka will attend the forums with Barbara Stanton, AARP Hawaii Director; Mary Rydell, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Hawaii representative; Christina Messner, Social Security Administration public affairs officer, and Pamela Cunningham, Hawaii State Health Insurance Assistance program (SagePLUS) director.

The purpose is to help seniors understand the Medicare prescription benefit available to Hawaii residents on Medicare and covering both generic and brand-name drugs.

People with limited incomes and assets can receive extra financial help.

For more information, call Stanton at 545-6000 or Jack Cheevers, spokesman for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, at (415) 744-3723.

24-hour health care available in Waianae

Gov. Linda Lingle has released $1 million to allow the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center to offer emergency care 24 hours a day.

The funding includes $250,000 from the Department of Health budget and a $750,000 grant-in-aid.

The funding will allow the health center to continue emergency medical services between midnight and 8 a.m.

"The brush fires this summer that cut off access in and out of Waianae demonstrate the critical need to maintain 24-hour emergency medical service along the Waianae Coast," Lingle said.

The Waianae Coast center is the only facility equipped to handle emergency medical care in the community. The nearest emergency room, St. Francis-West, is 16 miles from Waianae town and 20 miles from Makaha.

A 30- to 40-minute drive to St. Francis-West for patients with severe medical conditions could be a matter of life or death, Lingle's office said.

HPU gets U.S. grant for nursing program

Hawaii Pacific University's School of Nursing has received a federal grant of nearly $600,000 to help develop a new "Transcultural Nursing Center."

"The project will promote the development of a more culturally competent nursing workforce in order to enhance health outcomes of Hawaii's diverse populations," said Dr. Carol Winters-Moorhead, dean of HPU's School of Nursing.

More than 1,200 students enrolled in HPU's undergraduate nursing program this fall and 77 percent are considered minority/disadvantaged students, she said, adding that most graduates remain in Hawaii as practicing nurses.

The project will include strategies to increase the number of minority and disadvantaged students and faculty, curriculum development, a biannual Transcultural Education Institute, transcultural nursing courses, a Transcultural Nursing Certificate Program, workshops and seminars, a transcultural education program for the school's nurse-managed clinics and an evaluation plan.

The grant from a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is good for about three years.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

WAIKIKI

Alleged revenge attack injures man in bar

Police arrested a 26-year-old man after he allegedly injured another man whom he believed had sexually assaulted a 4-year-old girl.

Police said the girl was playing near the back of a vehicle that was parked near a bar at 1863 Kalakaua Ave. at about 10:50 p.m. Friday when a man walked up to her and touched her inappropriately.

Police said that after 26-year-old man learned of the alleged sexual assault he followed the other man into the bar and punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.

Police said the man who was hit is between 20 and 30 years old and was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.

The other man was arrested for investigation of second-degree assault.

LEEWARD OAHU

Firefighters battle blaze near Kunia Road

A brush fire that consumed more than 100 acres along Kunia Road yesterday was subdued last night but still burning along the Waianae mountain range.

Firefighters had only partially contained the fire by the time they left the area at 7:30 p.m. yesterday, said Battalion Chief Paul Loughran.

The area where the fire is burning is too steep and treacherous for firefighters to work after dark, he said. Firefighters were to return at first light today to try and extinguish it.

The fire was reported at 1:45 p.m. yesterday across from Hawaii Country Club at 94-1211 Kunia Road.