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Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
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FLAGS FLYING:CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COMT.P. Michalak and his wife, Jonna, visiting from Poland, walked down a flag-lined sidewalk yesterday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl. The flags were put up for Memorial Day weekend. CLICK FOR LARGE |
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Upcountry Maui asked to cut back water use
WAILUKU » Maui County officials are asking residents in the Upcountry areas to conserve water until the weekend due to maintenance work taking place on the main ditch until tomorrow.
Water officials said in lieu of water from the Wailoa ditch, the Piiholo Water Treatment Facility will be serving as the primary water source for Makawao, Haiku, Haliimaile, Pukalani and Lower Kula.
Water spokesperson Jacky Takakura said conservation measures include not washing cars, irrigating lawns or other uses not essential to health and safety.
Prison drug smugglers sentenced
Two federal detention center inmates were sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court for their roles in a prison drug-smuggling ring in 2005.
Robert Kupahu, 31, of Honolulu was sentenced to 175 months in prison for possessing prohibited items in prison and for his role as an organizer in the conspiracy to smuggle methamphetamine and marijuana into the federal detention center.
Chief District Judge Helen Gillmor also sentenced Keoki Astronomo, 36, of Lahaina to 100 months in prison for possession of controlled substances and for participation in the conspiracy.
Both men were incarcerated at the federal detention center and enlisted relatives and a corrections officer to bring in drugs, U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo said.
Kupahu's wife, Gabrielle, and brother, John, were charged with providing prohibited objects to inmates. Gabrielle Kupahu is serving a 25-month prison term, and John Hawi Kupahu is serving 32 months.
Astronomo's mother, Marlene, was sentenced to three years' probation and a $2,500 fine.
Federal corrections officer Akoni Sandoval Kapihe, 28, was sentenced to 33 months in prison for providing prohibited items to inmates.
Concert set for Hawaiian inmates
Pohaku o Kane will hold a free fundraiser concert and silent auction Friday to benefit native Hawaiian prisoners from 4 to 10 p.m. at the University of Hawaii-Manoa's Kamakakuokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies.
Pohaku o Kane, a Hawaiian cultural and spiritual advocacy group, is supporting prisoners who are trying to maintain traditional Hawaiian spiritual and cultural practices.
"It has been a struggle to get the state of Hawaii and the different prison administrations to acknowledge that native Hawaiians still engage in traditional religious beliefs and practices and that they have just as much a right to do so as any other religious denomination," said organizer Andre Perez. "Being able to practice their culture and spirituality has proven to be a critical component to the healing and rehabilitation of Hawaiian prisoners."
The concert, "Rusty Ol' Steam Pipes," will feature music by Skippy Ioane, Liko Martin, the Kauai Boys, Jon Osorio, Kupa 'Aina, Ernie Cruz Jr., the Girlas and Mana Caceres. There will be guest speakers, essays and poetry by Hawaiian prisoners.
Attendees may bid on Hawaiian arts and crafts in a silent auction, including poi pounders, an 'ihe (spear), a konane board, nose flutes, Anthony Kekona art prints, Solomon Enos prints, 'ulumaika sets and more.
A smoked-meat plate will be offered for $6.
For more information, contact Perez at 864-2336 or at kanikapu@yahoo.com.
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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
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Fight delays man's sentencing
A courthouse fight delayed sentencing yesterday for a man who accidentally shot and paralyzed an acquaintance two years ago.
Daniel Lista, awaiting sentencing in Circuit Court, was pulled into a courtroom by the victim's father, who bloodied Lista's nose.
The father was questioned yesterday, but not arrested. Lista apparently does not want to press charges, said Deputy Prosecutor Darrell Wong.
In 2005, Lista had been with a group of friends in Pearl City and was playing around with a gun when it went off, striking the victim. The bullet punctured the man's liver and struck his spine, paralyzing him from the waist down.
Lista pleaded guilty to second-degree assault and recklessly causing serious bodily injury. He had agreed to a deal in which he would serve a 10-year prison term, with a mandatory minimum of five years for using a firearm, Wong said.
Sentencing was continued to June 29 for Lista, on temporary supervised release while undergoing drug treatment. His attorney could not be reached for comment.
All matters in Circuit Judge Karl Sakamoto's courtroom were reset for tomorrow.
Beating death gets 20-year term
A Kalihi Valley man who admitted to beating his aunt's ex-boyfriend to death was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison.
Acting Circuit Judge David Lo ordered James Dean Strong, 30, also known as James Dean Balai, to serve a mandatory five-year minimum as a repeat offender.
Strong pleaded guilty earlier to a reduced charge of manslaughter for recklessly causing the death of Gaulbert "Gully" Reis, 60, at an abandoned Kalihi home on June 11, 2005.
Strong was on probation for an assault case involving a relative when he admitting to slapping, hitting and kicking Reis because the older man had physically abused his aunt. Reis, who is homeless, and others including his former girlfriend, were living in the abandoned home at the time.
Reis died as a result of brain injuries and acute alcohol intoxication, according to the medical examiner.
At the time of the incident, he had a blood-alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Suspects sought in Hilo graffiti painting in May
Big Island police are asking for the public's help in identifying people responsible for spraying and writing graffiti on buildings and vehicles in the Hilo area.
The Hawaii Police Department initiated 23 criminal property damage complaints between May 1 and yesterday.
Police ask anyone with information about the identity of the vandals to call the police department's nonemergency number at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.
Narrow driveway slows firefighters on Kauai
MOLOAA, Kauai » A narrow driveway impeded fire crews responding to a blaze that destroyed a single-story home in a rural section of Kauai early yesterday.
It was the second time in a week a home was destroyed by fire on the Garden Isle.
The fire was reported about 11 p.m. Monday, but firefighters had difficulty reaching the scene because the home was on a long, private driveway that was too narrow for their engine trucks, Kauai Fire Chief Robert Westerman said.
Firefighters instead used their smaller brush trucks, but were still forced to carry their pumps and equipment 200 feet and across a small bridge to reach the home.
Using water from a nearby stream, firefighters got the fire under control by 1:17 a.m. and extinguished by 2 a.m. yesterday.
The 900-square-foot home and attached storeroom were destroyed, officials said. Damage to the wooden structures and their contents is estimated at $100,000, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.
On May 18, a fire in a home in Lawai caused $200,000 worth of damage. According to media reports, a candle was to blame.