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Stranded medical workers return home

The four city Emergency Medical Services workers who were stranded in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina are scheduled to return to Honolulu this afternoon.

Paramedics Melinda Shiraki, Doreen Kitagawa and Jill Takayama and emergency medical technician Rochel Ortiz had traveled to New Orleans to attend the National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians annual meeting Aug. 23-27.

After the hurricane, the women were unable to leave the city, had little water and food and treated patients.

Entry-level state librarians sought

The Hawaii State Library System is recruiting entry-level librarians statewide, and applications are due by Monday.

Recent library science graduates are encouraged to apply for the position Librarian III, with a starting salary of $3,030 per month.

"We offer career opportunities that are both challenging and rewarding," said State Librarian Jo Ann Schindler, noting that 81 percent of library users rated the system as "excellent" or "good" in a recent survey.

"Each of us is making a positive contribution to the intellectual life of our community, and our public library system is certainly one that you can be proud of," she said.

For more information, log on to the Hawaii State Public Library System's Web site: www.librarieshawaii.org/ about/employment2.html, the Hawaii State Recruiting Office's Web site: www.ehawaiigov.org/statejobs or call the Hawaii State Recruiting Office at (808) 587-0940.

Little League parade in Ewa postponed

Plans have been put on hold for an Ewa Beach parade to honor the hometown winners of the Little League World Series.

The event scheduled Saturday to celebrate the West Oahu Little League team's Aug. 28 victory over Curacao will be held later, so it can be bigger, according to state Rep. Kymberly Pine (R, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point).

Several Ewa Beach residents and organizations want to join the event, and "it is our goal to have the entire community involved," Pine said in a news release. "This event is not just about winning the World Series, it is about a turning point that our community has reached."

To join the project, call her office at 586-9730.

The team and coaches were cheered Monday in a city-sponsored "Parade of Baseball Champions 2005" through Waikiki that also honored other youth league teams for their wins this year.

25 failed schools appeal their scores

Though a record number of public schools failed to meet test score requirements this year, only about 25 are appealing their results, about the same as last year.

The reason may be a new data base available to school principals this year containing detailed breakdowns of the complicated school scores, Department of Education officials said.

The data base is believed to have cut down on frivolous or unfounded appeals.

Students were tested in the spring, and their scores used to determine each school's standing under the No Child Left Behind act, which applies sanctions on poor-performing schools.

This year, 188 out of 282 schools fell short of benchmarks that determine "adequate" academic progress. Last year, 24 schools appealed, and only two won their appeals.

The new data base is expected to result in more well-founded appeals this year, which could boost the number granted, said Glenn Hirata, a school evaluation specialist with the department.

Appeal rulings are expected at the end of September.

Students invited to free college fair

High school students and their parents are invited to the College Connections Hawaii Fair on Sept. 13, where they can meet with representatives of dozens of colleges across the country.

The free event will be held at the Ala Wai Golf Clubhouse from 5 to 8 p.m. For more info, call College Connections at (808)C-O-L-L-E-G-E, or visit www.collegeconnections.org.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

LEEWARD OAHU

Teen arrested in sex assault

Police arrested a 15-year-old Waianae boy yesterday for allegedly sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl during a sleepover.

Police said the two were on a sleepover at a mutual friend's home in Waianae when the suspect allegedly sexually assaulted the girl sometime between 4 and 5 a.m. Monday.

The girl told the homeowner, who then informed the girl's mother.

The boy left the home before police arrived. The girl was examined at the Sex Abuse Treatment Center.

The victim identified the suspect in a photographic lineup.

Police later found and arrested the suspect on suspicion of first-degree sexual assault.

The suspect was later released pending further investigation.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Motorcyclist, 52, dies in North Kona crash

A 52-year-old Kailua-Kona man was fatally injured Sunday in a motorcycle crash in North Kona.

Police said the motorcyclist, riding a 1991 Harley-Davidson, was heading north on Route 190 when his motorcycle ran off the right side of the road and hit a wall.

The accident occurred sometime before 1:21 p.m., one-tenth of a mile south of the 21-mile marker in the Puuanahulu area of North Kona.

The man was taken to the Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:28 p.m.

Police were withholding his name until he is identified and his family has been notified.

A coroner's inquest case has been initiated and an autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.

This is the 24th traffic fatality on the Big Island this year, compared with 28 at the same time last year.

HONOLULU

Makiki resident stops theft of coffee table

A Makiki woman caught a would-be thief with her mother's coffee table on Sunday night and got him to return it.

Police said the woman looked out the window of her home at 11:03 p.m. Monday and saw a man taking a coffee table from their home at Lewalani Street and Mott-Smith Drive.

The woman confronted the man, 24, and got him to return to her home with the table, police said.

Police arrived at the scene, arrested the suspect on suspicion of second-degree theft and recovered the coffee table.

Kalihi man arrested in stabbing of neighbor

Police arrested a 39-year-old man after he allegedly stabbed his neighbor at their Kalihi apartment building just after midnight yesterday.

Police said the victim, a 42-year-old man, and the suspect were arguing in a hallway at 232 Kalihi St.

The argument escalated and the suspect, brandishing a knife, allegedly stabbed the victim multiple times, police said.

The victim was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition with multiple stab wounds.

Police found the victim at the bottom of the stairs lying in a pool of blood.

They arrested the suspect at the apartment building for investigation of second-degree attempted murder.

Victim confronts teen over theft in July

Police arrested a 15-year-old boy Monday night for allegedly stealing a man's clothes in July, then threatening him with a knife when the victim asked for them back.

Police said that at about 11:30 p.m. July 10, the suspect approached the victim, 24, at Ala Moana Beach Park, pulled out a knife and held it to the victim's throat and demanded his clothes.

After taking the victim's shirt and pants, the suspect left the area, and police said the victim did not report the incident.

At 11:30 p.m. yesterday, the victim saw the suspect while he was getting on a bus in Kalihi and asked for his clothing back. In response, the suspect allegedly reached into his backpack and pulled out a knife and threatened the victim.

Police were called and found a knife under the suspect's bus seat.

The suspect was arrested for investigation of first-degree terroristic threatening and robbery.

Soldier arrested in stabbing over bar bill

Police arrested a soldier after he allegedly stabbed another soldier in a dispute over their bar bill over the weekend.

The suspect, 28, and the victim, 25, were drinking in a Kakaako bar at 6 a.m. Saturday when they argued over the tab. The suspect demanded that the victim pay with his credit card, but the victim refused, police said.

The suspect then allegedly assaulted the victim and stabbed him several times with a pocket knife.

The suspect fled but later turned himself in at Schofield Barracks.

Police said both parties are friends assigned to the same battalion. The suspect was arrested yesterday for investigation of second-degree assault.

WINDWARD OAHU

Disguised police pick up teen fugitives

Clever police work led to the arrest of two teenage escapees from the Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility in Kailua on Monday.

The two 17-year-old girls left the facility without permission and hid in the nearby mountainside, then came down about 5 p.m. to try to hitchhike a ride, police said.

On-duty police officers removed the blue lights from their cars and their shirts, and stopped to pick up the suspects, then arrested them for investigation of escape.

Kailua man identifies burglary suspect

Police said a 22-year-old Kailua man discovered a burglar taking his television set and chased him out of his house Sunday.

Police said the suspect, 38, was taking the TV about 6:35 p.m. when he was discovered.

The victim saw the suspect the next day on Wailepo Place and identified him to police, who arrested him for investigation of first-degree burglary.