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Workshop to discuss preparation for reading

Parents and caregivers of children preschool age and younger are invited to a free workshop at the McCully-Moiliili Public Library on Saturday to help prepare their youngsters to learn to read.

The one-hour workshop will teach the importance of early literacy and how to develop critical pre-reading skills so that every child enters school ready to learn to read.

Library staff will demonstrate some games that parents or caregivers can use to help children acquire those skills.

A story time for children will be held in the library during the workshop.

The workshop is presented in conjunction with the American Library Association's "Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library" program.

The McCully-Moiliili Library is at 2211 S. King St. For more information, call the library at 973-1099.

Teachers get aid to test progress

Educational Testing Service said it has developed a bank of more than 11,000 math and language arts test questions aligned to Hawaii's state academic content for teachers to use in the classroom.

The Princeton, N.J.-based company's ETS Pulliam unit has been contracted to help "restructure" six of Hawaii's failing schools. The test questions will be available through ETS data management software provided to those schools.

Teachers can use the bank of questions in their instruction or to easily put together quizzes and tests to gauge student progress and then address any weaknesses, ETS officials said.

Panel accredits Oahu shelter service

The Institute for Human Services, Oahu's largest emergency homeless shelter, has been accredited for three years by an international commission.

This is the first accreditation awarded to IHS by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, known as CARF. It means IHS programs and services, which went through a rigorous review process, are of the highest quality, according to IHS.

The nonprofit organization has provided emergency shelter services in Honolulu since 1958. It has offices at 546 Ka'aahi St. and at 350 Sumner St.

Brown tree snake tries to hitch a ride

McALESTER, Okla. » A brown tree snake -- a species that has wiped out a large share of Guam's native bird population -- appears to have hitched a ride on a plane to Oklahoma from Guam earlier this month.

Brown tree snakes have devastated nine of Guam's 12 native forest bird species. Experts fear the snakes could inflict similar damage on Hawaii's fragile ecosystem if they stow away to the islands.

The 3 1/2-foot snake was discovered earlier this month hanging from the side of a pallet inside a military cargo box sent to McAlester Army Ammunition Plant from Guam.

Three workers saw the snake, knocked it off the pallet, and killed it with a board, plant spokesman Mark Hughes said Monday.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

HONOLULU

McCully man, 38, arrested in stabbing

Police arrested a 38-year-old McCully man Monday night for allegedly stabbing his common-law wife Sunday.

When police responded to the couple's address Sunday morning, the victim, 34, told them she was injured falling down some steps.

There were no witnesses to the incident. But when she sought medical treatment for her injuries Monday, police were called and the woman changed her story, police said.

Officers later found two witnesses who said the suspect had admitted to them that he stabbed the victim, police said.

Police then arrested the man at his apartment for investigation of second-degree assault.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Family asks searchers to keep looking for boy

CAPTAIN COOK, Hawaii » Hawaii County and state personnel were to continue a search today for Alexander Derego, 12, of Waimea, missing since Saturday on a night fishing trip near Kealakekua Bay, South Kona.

Searches are normally called off after three days, but Fire Chief Darryl Oliveira said his personnel would continue at the request of the boy's family. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will also continue, Oliveira said.

The Coast Guard called off an active search after crisscrossing the area by plane and boat so many times that a map was black with the lines showing areas searched, spokeswoman Marsha Delaney said.

Searchers yesterday included about 75 volunteers, the Fire Department said. The search concentrated on divers looking in shoreline caves and ledges but had no success, the department said.