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POSTED: Thursday, January 15, 2009
                       

This story has been corrected. See below.

Keith-Agaran picked for Legislature

Gov. Linda Lingle has named veteran government executive and Maui attorney Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran to serve the two-year term of the late Democratic state Rep. Bob Nakasone.

Keith-Agaran, 46, was chosen from a list of three candidates sent to Lingle by the state Democratic Party. Others on the list included Lance Holter, Maui Democratic Party chairman, and Kehau Filimoeatu, a Maui police central dispatch office supervisor.

Keith-Agaran was Maui public works director from 2003 to 2005.

From 2000 to 2002 he ran the state Land and Natural Resources Department, and he was the department's deputy director from 1995 to 1998. He is also a former state labor director and a deputy director of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs. He is a partner in the Maui law firm of Takatani & Agaran.

Nakasone died Dec. 7 after winning re-election to represent Kahului and Paia.

Dog shot after biting police officer

A police officer shot a dog in a grocery store parking lot last night after the dog's owner unleashed the animal and the dog bit him, according to police and witnesses.

Both the dog and the officer were said to be in good condition. Police arrested the 32-year-old man who owns the dog.

The incident began about 7:30 p.m. when the man and a woman were arguing as they drove through Kapahulu.

Police said the woman stopped the vehicle in the Safeway parking lot, 888 Kapahulu Ave., and asked a store clerk to call 911 because she feared for her safety.

A plainclothes officer identified himself and asked the man several times to move the vehicle because it was disrupting traffic flow, police said.

The man swore at the officer and allegedly lifted up a shopping cart, threatening to throw it at the officer. The officer drew his service pistol, and the suspect put the cart down, police said.

The man then unleashed a dog he had with him and the dog attacked the officer, police said. The officer was bitten once in the abdomen before he shot the dog in the shoulder, police said.

“;Dog bit him, detective shot him,”; said police Lt. Bill Kato.

The Hawaiian Humane Society picked up the dog. It appeared to be in “;pretty good”; shape, Kato said.

The officer, who bystanders said was doing OK, was taken to the Queen's Medical Center.

Safeway security officer Robert Nichols was inside the store, but heard the incident unfold.

“;One shot,”; he said. He looked outside and saw a dog limping near the Barefoot League store on the other side of the parking lot. A crowd started to gather, and police taped off one side of the parking lot.

A parking lot security guard, who only gave his name as Mike, said he saw the officer's bandages around his stomach.

“;It was justified,”; he said of the shooting.

Nichols and police said the dog was a pit bull.

The man was arrested on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, first-degree assault on a law enforcement officer, second-degree assault and a citation for a dangerous dog.

Volunteers sought to watch whales

The Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is looking for volunteers for the 2009 Ocean Count.

Volunteers on Oahu, Kauai and the Big Island will count whales and record their behaviors from more than 60 sites on Jan. 31, Feb. 28 and March 28 from 8 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Volunteers on Kauai are asked to attend a free training session and lecture with site leaders.

The project allows volunteers to learn about the humpback whale population, distribution and behavioral trends while being involved in a monitoring effort. Humpbacks have been listed as endangered in the United States since 1973.

People interested in volunteering should call (888) 55-WHALE, ext. 253, for the Big Island; 397-2651, ext. 253, for Oahu; and 246-2860 for Kauai.

 

Navy reopens road for military

The Navy has reopened one lane of the Kolekole pass road between Waianae and Schofield Barracks for military identification cardholders only.

In the morning, the single lane will allow one-way traffic from Waianae to Schofield Barracks from 7 a.m. to noon. From noon to 5:30 p.m., traffic will flow from Schofield to Waianae. The single lane will be open Monday through Friday and will be closed on weekends and holidays.

The road was closed last month because of falling rocks and unsafe road conditions caused by heavy rain.

 

UH to honor alumni at dinner

The University of Hawaii Alumni Association will honor six former graduates at the annual Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner on May 7 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

This year's honorees are state Health Director Chiyome Fukino, authors and visiting professors James and Lois Horton, Kamehameha Schools Chief Executive Officer Dee Jay Mailer and Circuit Judge Sabrina McKenna.

Finance Factors Chairman Daniel Lau will receive the UH Founders Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

The nominations for the awards were reviewed by a committee of alumni association board members, past award recipients and community members.

For more information on the dinner, call the Alumni Relations office at 956-2586 or visit UHalumni.org.

 

Big Island partners create solar oven

KAILUA-KONA » Without electricity or charcoal, Greg Menke and Dave Flanders used the sun to cook their Thanksgiving turkey in a 62-cubic-foot solar portable oven.

Their oven production company, Solar Chefs, makes ovens that use solar panels, mirrors, batteries and fans to cook their meals.

Menke, a culinary school graduate, said he got the idea for the oven when the sun overheated the inside of his car.

“;My son left a chocolate bar in the car, and it melted everywhere,”; Menke said. “;And I thought, 'We could use the sun to cook.'”;

While buying the tempered glass that would serve as the roof of a prototype model, Menke was introduced to Flanders, who previously held jobs as a contractor, glass glazier and wire man. Conveniently, his jobs gave him most of the skills needed to build a solar oven.

“;Sometimes you wonder why you're doing all these things,”; Flanders said. “;And then something like this comes along.”;

Flanders and Menke used the shell of a large, discarded industrial refrigerator to start.

They removed the front, set the glass on and added two levels of mirrors around the top to capture and reflect the sun. Then they inserted two 12-by-24-inch solar panels that power a 12-volt boat battery. Inside, a convection fan helps increase heat.

The oven has a propane hookup to assist with warming and for use on cloudy days.

The partners then stared working on getting a product out: banana bread. The oven can hold up to 120 loaves, and it takes about two hours to make a batch.

“;We were thinking of the cheapest thing we could come up with, and we ultimately came to bananas,”; Menke said.

               

     

 

CORRECTION         This story originally had an incorrect telephone number for the University of Hawaii Distinguished Alumni Awards dinner. It is 956-2586.