Daughter pleads not guilty to death

When 79-year-old Ines Rivera died March 9, 2006, she had infected bedsores on her back, tailbone, both hips and one of her ankles, according to a Honolulu Medical Examiner report.

Three of her bedsores went down to the bone.

The autopsy says Rivera died of sepsis, or infection of the blood, caused by the bedsores. It also lists elder neglect and Rivera's infirmity as contributing causes.

Yesterday, Rivera's daughter, Nena Lopez, also known as Nena Queja, pleaded not guilty in state court to manslaughter for causing her mother's death.

An Oahu grand jury returned an indictment last month charging Lopez with manslaughter either by assuming care for her mother even though she was unable to provide care, for failing to perform her legal duties as an operator of an adult residential care home, for failing to provide appropriate and timely medical care for Rivera or for preventing others from providing care for her mother.

Online, print ads seek UH president

Help-wanted ads will run starting Sunday in local newspapers and next week in a national higher-education journal seeking applications and nominations for the next University of Hawaii president.

As part of the search process, an ad will run for 30 days in the Chronicle for Higher Education. Ads are also being placed on online job services and in the Star-Bulletin, Honolulu Advertiser and the Manoa campus Ka Leo newspaper, according to the UH Board of Regents. The cost of the ads is a little more than $9,000.

At last month's meeting, the regents set a salary of between $450,000 and $550,000 for the next UH president.

David McClain, the current president, is scheduled to step down this summer.

Disaster centers help storm victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hawaii State Civil Defense will open disaster recovery centers across Oahu tomorrow, offering personal assistance to residents who sustained property damage in the storm and flooding between Dec. 10 and 16.

The centers will be open at four locations, six days a week. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. on weekdays, including Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday), and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays. The centers will be closed on Sundays. Locations are:

» Haleiwa: Waialua Community Association (Haleiwa gym), 66-434 Kamehameha Highway.

» Laie: Laie Shopping Center, 55-510 Kamehameha Highway.

» Waianae: Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, 86-620 Farrington Highway.

» Waipahu: Filipino Community Center, 94-428 Mokuola St.

Residents are encouraged to register with FEMA before visiting a center by calling (800) 621-FEMA or TTY (800) 462-7585, or going online at www.disasterassistance.gov.

Representatives from the U.S. Small Business Administration will also be at the centers to answer questions about the SBA's disaster loan program to repair or replace real estate and personal property. Loans are also available for business owners.