Secret Service arrests isle man

U.S. Secret Service agents arrested a Kaneohe man yesterday who is diagnosed with a schizophrenic disorder for threatening to attack President-elect Barack Obama during his upcoming visit to Oahu.

Mark Miyashiro is in custody at the federal detention center without the opportunity for bail.

His doctor reported the threats, according to federal court documents.

When Secret Service agents interviewed him at his home yesterday, Miyashiro said he intended to hurt Obama with a slingshot and marble. If Obama survived the attack, Miyashiro told the agents that would prove that Obama is in fact the Antichrist.

During the interview, the agents said Miyashiro also threatened to attack them.

The agents said Miyashiro consented to a search of his home where they found a Russian-made assault rifle with an attached bayonet. They also found several boxes of ammunition.

Miyashiro told the agents he practiced shooting at the public firing range at Koko Head, and said his wife purchased and registered the rifle because he was denied a weapons permit in the past.

Owners to clear structural hazard

Owners of a Kalihi property have agreed to tear down a structure where scaffolding portions collapsed in October and remove the debris.

The agreement postpones until January a court hearing on the city's request for permanent legal authority to enter the property to do the work and bring it to a safe condition. The hearing was originally scheduled for yesterday.

The city already has temporary authority to demolish the structure and clean up the debris, said Don Kitaoka, city attorney.

“;The (temporary restraining order) is still in effect. So that allows us to move in at any time. But we'll refrain from it because the owners are saying that they have a contractor ready to do it,”; he said.

Kitaoka said the city will monitor the progress of the owners' efforts to remove the structure and debris, which he said pose a hazard to public health and safety. The city has already deemed the property unsafe for human habitation.

The city filed a lawsuit in state court last week seeking court approval to remove the structure and debris and charge the owners the cost of the work plus attorney fees. The lawsuit names as plaintiffs the owners of the property, Loida Bumanglag Santos, Grace Bumanglag Santos and Daniel H. Cunningham.

Portions of a scaffolding and tarpaulin structure at 1732 Gulick Ave. collapsed Oct. 26 after heavy rain. The structure surrounds three sides of a single-family dwelling. At the time, 53 people were living on the property, the American Red Cross said.

The owners have been racking up fines of $50 per day since the city discovered the illegal scaffolding structure in 2005 when it ran along just one side of the dwelling.

UH students pitch math to kids

University of Hawaii mathematics students will lead local elementary and middle school students in an exploration of the role of math in space exploration, robotics and engineering at an event tomorrow at the UH Campus Center Ballroom.

“;An Afternoon of Beautiful Mathematics for Girls”; will be open to all students and their parents from 1 to 5 p.m.

The program will feature discovery stations and mentoring by female graduate and undergraduate students and faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Its goal is to motivate girls to pursue classes and careers in those disciplines.

Craft fair to benefit Pier 1 shelter

The Next Step Shelter is inviting the public to its second annual craft fair today.

The event, from 2 to 8 p.m., will feature handmade crafts by shelter members and entertainment by the Diamond Head Theatre, church choruses and bands. There also will be food, drinks and face painters.

Outside vendors may rent a booth for $25 to sell their crafts. Rental proceeds will benefit the Dream Workshop, a program at the transitional shelter that promotes self-sufficiency and business and social skills.

The shelter is at Pier 1 on Forrest Avenue, next to the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine in Kakaako.