Pawnshop owner pitched his own jewelry

Kauai pawnshop owner Roger Parks had more than a hunch that the jewelry a man was trying to sell was hot.

Parks recognized the jewelry as his own—stolen the night before from his vehicle, parked at his condominium in Lihue.

Parks, owner of the Gold and Silver Trading Co. in Lihue, called police while the suspect was waiting in the store trying to sell the stolen merchandise.

Police arrested a 25-year-old man Thursday for second-degree theft.

The man was later released, pending further investigation.

Parks told police he discovered Thursday morning that the jewelry had been stolen.

Maui woman is nabbed in Iowa

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa » Cedar Rapids police have arrested a Maui woman after officials say she drove a stolen car from Illinois around a barricade at a deadly accident.

Police say Cheryl Rosenberg of Paia drove past two squad cars and officers who were directing traffic after the accident Sunday morning that killed a Cedar Rapids man.

Police say Rosenberg stopped when she saw the wreck.

Officers checking her driver's license learned the car was reported stolen out of Quincy, Ill.

Rosenberg was jailed on suspicion of second-degree theft, driving with no insurance and failure to comply with a police order.

When asked why she did not stop, police say Rosenberg said she was not “;from around here.”;

Scholarship offered for tech education

A new scholarship at Hawaii Community College will help students enrolling in technical programs.

The Nagata family established the Ronald H. and Irene M. Nagata Endowed Scholarship Fund with a $25,000 gift, the University of Hawaii foundation announced.

The scholarship will provide financial assistance for tuition, books, equipment and tools. Students who graduated from a Hawaii high school are eligible to apply. Preference is given to students enrolled in the applied technical education division, including the construction technology, transportation and applied technology departments, and the nursing and allied health division.

Big Island water rates drop for now

Water bills on the Big Island are dropping ... for a little while at least.

The Hawaii County Department of Water Supply announced last week that the Power Cost Charge would drop to $1.83 from $2.38 per 1,000 gallons of water used.

This is the first time since 2006 the surcharge has been reduced.

The Power Cost Charge is applied to each 1,000 gallons used to account for fluctuations in the cost of energy needed to operate the water system, the department said in a news release.

For an average customer using 20,000 gallons of water in a two-month billing period, the change would mean an $11 reduction in the bill, the news release said.

The Power Cost Charge is one part of the water bill and can be adjusted every two months, the release said.

The catch is that the Power Cost Charge lags behind the market price of oil by four months, meaning it will probably go back up relatively soon.