The H4 Hawai`i Times - News with Ryan Ozawa!

The H4 Hawai`i Times - News with Ryan Ozawa! Hawai`i News via Ryan Ozawa's Ka `Upena K ukui

Miss something? Check the H4 Archives.

Ryan is runnin' a day or two behind due to school and a busted powerbook...please be mellow with us...
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, February 14, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= COURTS TARGET T-SHIRT VENDORS The city's 1995 ban restricting vendors from setting up shop on Waikiki sidewalks was upheld by a federal appeals court yesterday, and Mayor Jeremy Harris is hoping the victory will lead to keeping peddlers out of Diamond Head and other popular tourist spots. A group of vendors had contested the ban, saying that it was a violation of their First Amendment rights. The Circuit Court ruled 2-1 against the group, however, saying that although "selling T-shirts is a unique form of expression... it does nothing to make the message uniquely significant or effective." The court maintained that there are other ways of sharing their beliefs. After a 1994 showdown in Waikiki -- when city workers lined Waikiki sidewalks with concrete planters to stop vendors from setting up their tables -- the city's subsequent ban cleared the area's main thoroughfares. Many of the peddlers, however, simply moved to the Pali Lookout, Diamond Head and Hanauma Bay. With the court's decision, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and city Department of Parks and Recreation are hoping to adopt bans to cover all such areas. Attorneys for the vendors say they plan to resubmit the case to a larger panel of judges in the hopes of reversing yesterday's decision. HAWAII ARMED FORCES TO CUT 1,200 POSITIONS Hawaii-based Army and Air National Guard forces will be taking the biggest hit among local branches of the military in nationwide cutbacks in the armed forces. Local representatives confirmed reports from the National Guard bureau today that they will eliminate 1,204 positions this year. The Hawaii Air National Guard is already in the process of phasing out its Kaua`i outpost at Barking Sands, but 67 staffers will be transferred to other units. Additionally, cutbacks within the Naval Reserve will leave 68 fewer jobs at its maintenance facility at Pearl Harbor, and the Pacific Army Reserve expects to eliminate 105 positions. The Marine Corps Reserve, however, will experience no cuts, and the Air Force Reserve will add 74 positions. The slate of cutbacks follow heavy force reductions in September of last year. Nationwide, the National Guard expects to cut 15,900 positions this year, and an additional 21,000 before October of 1998. FORMER HOSTAGE WEDS WITHIN WEEK Barely a day after being caught in the crossfire of last Tuesday's hostage standoff at Sand Island, 30-year-old ex-hostage Tom McNeil had some advice for the men of Honolulu: "Go home tonight and hug your wife," he told a local radio station. As of Monday night, McNeil got to practice what he preached. McNeil has married his fiancee, Sherri Davidson, only six days after his surprise struggle with captor John Miranda put a violent end to a seven-hour drama. McNeil could not be reached for comment -- perhaps understandably -- but friends who attended a private celebration yesterday say the experience had changed his outlook on life. During the standoff, Davidson vowed to a friend that she would marry McNeil if he escaped the crisis unharmed. The vow was kept, just in time for Valentine's Day. Last week, McNeil had told reporters that his pager was going off throughout the ordeal. After the dust had settled, he checked his pager to find it full of "digital love messages" from Davidson. AIRFARES TO MAINLAND SLASHED FOR SPRING United Airlines fired the latest shot in the traditional fare-wars for the spring season, which will likely cut average Hawaii-to-Mainland airfares by 32 percent. Northwest Airlines kicked off the battle for travelers' bucks when it cut its round-trip airfares, most substantially shown for Hawaii flights to the East Coast -- $697 to Chicago, and $607 to New York. American, Continental, Delta, and Trans World soon matched Northwest's prices for those routes; today's fare-cut announcement by United actually covers flights to all U.S. destinations. The rates cover travel between Feb. 28 and April 30, and tickets must be purchased at least two weeks in advance. Travelers coming to the islands must remain in-state for at least three days to qualify for the discount fares. PROMISING a renewed spirit of promoting peace and stability in the Asia- Pacific region, Admiral Joseph Prueher yesterday took command of U.S. Pacific Forces at a ceremony at Camp Smith. A 17-gun salute marked Prueher's installation as the 17 commander in chief for CINCPAC. He will oversee 380,000 American troops from the Indian Ocean to the West Coast... COCKFIGHTING and gambling at a Waimanalo site has led to the seizure of the one-acre parcel of land by the federal government. Under U.S. law, forfeiture of property can occur when it involves illegal gambling, but this week's action is the first time it has been exercised in Hawaii... COMPUTER problems are continuing to affect the timely composition and distribution of Ka `Upena Kukui. A current slate of mid-terms (and extended observances of Valentine's Day) are also shaking things up. Sincere apologies for any inconvenience this may cause... TEMPS: O`ahu 80/67, Kaua`i 77/65, Moloka`i 80/65, Maui 79/66, Hilo 78/66 CASTS: Cool, scattered showers. Dwindling surf on all shores (1 to 5 feet). THURSDAY'S TIDES: High 1:38PM; Low 8:45AM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, February 13, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= SWITCH TO OLDER PLANES WILL SAVE MAHALO Mahalo Air will be trading its fleet of 1- and 2-year-old airplanes for older aircraft, in order to save $400,000 a month on leasing costs. Company executives say that by the end of this month, all six Mahalo ATR-42 turbo- prop planes will be 7- and 8-year-old models. The move will save $5 million annually, company executives say, without any major impact on its operation. Despite the switch, Mahalo president Michael Yocum pointed out that the airline's fleet is still the youngest among the three largest interisland carriers, and that there will be no reduction in Mahalo's current schedule of 77 flights a day. With its January flights showing an average seat-occupancy rate of 60 percent, Mahalo officials say they are optimistic about the future of their relatively young airline. To boost revenues, Mahalo is currently considering a deal with other carriers -- including competitor Hawaiian Airline -- to carry their passengers to less-traveled destinations like Lana`i and Moloka`i. In addition, a new Japanese sales office allows tourists to book Mahalo flights directly from Japan. If projections are correct, Mahalo officials say they may have to add more planes to its fleet. CITY WILL PAY, NOT SAVE, WITH EARLY RETIREMENT Offering early retirement to city employees as a cost-cutting move has backfired, instead accumulating a projected price tag of $12 million over the next six years. The numbers come from a recent internal audit by the city, prompted by ongoing efforts of the City Council to save money. Last year, following a similar move involving state employees, the county of Honolulu offered its employees an early retirement plan in order to shorten payrolls and eliminate positions. 554 workers took the option, leading to savings of about $12 million. Necessary support for those employees, however, will cost the state Employees Retirement System $23 million through the year 2002. Also, since most of the workers who opted for early retirement were from the police and fire departments, their positions were quickly refilled. Finally, the city spent an additional $500,000 over the last two years to hire some retirees back to tackle the mountains of work they left behind. Malcolm Tom, budget director for the city, said an already "lean workforce" was the prime reason the city plan wasn't as effective as it was for state employees. While the number of state employees increased by 70 percent since 1974, Tom said, the city workforce grew by only 6 percent. MOTHER PLAYED PART IN SON'S DEATH The mother of 3-year-old Zachary Riveira pled guilty to charges of manslaughter yesterday, after admitting her role in his fatal suffocation in 1991. Gina Lynn Riveira, 29, said she restrained her congenitally brain- damaged son while her co-defendant -- Mikael Malakha -- tied cloth around his head to hold a sock in his mouth. Riveira said it wasn't the first time Malakha had tied up the child to keep him quiet. Riveira was charged with murder in the case, but pled guilty to the lesser charge after her attorney insisted that she was more an innocent bystander than a murderer. Defense attorney David Hayakawa characterized Malakha as an overbearing harasser who stalked and scared Riveira. She did everything he told her to, Hayakawa said, not knowing that Malakha's treatment of her son would lead to his death. Riveira, who agreed to testify against Malakha next week, will be sentenced on May 23. As her plea agreement may be rejected by Circuit Judge Bambi Weil, she still faces the possibility of a mandatory life term. If convicted of manslaughter, her maximum sentence will be 10-years in prison term. LAWMAKERS CONSIDER CIGARETTE TAX HIKE A bill that would make Hawaii's cigarette tax the highest in the nation was approved yesterday by the House Health Committee. Currently, a tax of 60 cents is tacked on the price of every pack of cigarettes sold in the state, which generates over $32 million a year for the state. The current bill would increase that tax to $1 per pack, and raise $3 million more annually. More importantly, lawmakers say, the higher tax may price smokes out of the hands of teenagers. The state Health Department testified yesterday that the price of cigarettes affects young buyers three times more than adults. A 1993 study by the National Cancer Institute was also cited. Opponents argued, however, that teen smoking in the islands is now at its highest in 15 years, even though the cigarette tax was hiked three years ago. Some lawmakers are concerned that, like the state's liquor tax, a point of diminishing returns will be reached when less cigarettes are sold as a result of the higher price. 1995 statistics show nearly 30 percent of Hawaii's high school seniors are regular smokers, an increase of about 8 percent compared to 1980. Overall, 20 percent of the state's population are smokers. LAWMAKERS END DEBATE ON GAMBLING The House Judiciary and Finance committees killed a bill on Saturday that would have legalized gambling in the islands, effectively ending debate among legislators for the rest of this year's session. Terrance Tom, Judiciary chairman, said the state is no closer to deciding the issue after 20 years of deliberation. The best way to end the debate, Tom said, would be a voter referendum. Although such a referendum was included in the bill, Tom acknowledged that not enough study had been done on whether a binding public vote was allowed for under the Hawaii Constitution. The bill died without dissent after three hours of public testimony from both sides. The U.S. attorney and Honolulu Police Department flew in national experts to advise against the legalization of gambling, while supporters -- including Outrigger Hotels -- sponsored their own experts. Tom and Finance Chairman Calvin Say said there is a possibility of an "advisory referendum" during the General Election in 1998. Until then, Hawaii and Utah will remain the only two states where all forms of gambling are illegal. GUITARIST, ISLE TREASURE ISAACS DIES One of Hawaii's most treasured musical artists, Alvin "Barney" Isaacs Jr., died yesterday at the age of 71. Isaacs, a Punahou graduate, never learned to read music but still gained international recognition as a pioneer in playing the steel guitar. A noted composer, band leader and recording artist, friends of Isaacs recall that he credited his musical beginnings to being hit on the head by a golf club. As a result, Isaacs would say, he had to leave the University of Hawaii after being a student there for only two years. Isaacs was known for his distinctive use of chords and key changes, and was featured at numerous hotel shows and slack key albums. Isaacs was honored with a special Hoku award from the Steel Guitar Association last year, and the Honolulu City Council declared Isaacs one of Hawaii's greatest musical treasures in 1994. His brothers, the late Leland and Norman Isaacs, were also all known for their musical talents. Alvin "Barney" Isaacs passed away yesterday at Queen's Medical Center of complications resulting from a long fight with emphysema. ISLANDERS TASTE NEW GENERATION Nothing was quite like a Pepsi in Hawaii... until now. The local bottling plant has stopped using sugar from Hawaii's cane growers in mixing the popular soft drink. Hawaii was the only state where Pepsi was mixed with sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup. Company officials cite the dying O`ahu sugar industry and the dropping cost of corn syrup. The C&H Sugar Refinery in Aiea will lose 30 percent of its annual sales as a result of the switch, and the already-shrinking 15 employee plant may face an early end. The one remaining O`ahu plantation, Waialua Sugar Co., will make its last harvest in August. After that, the neighbor islands will be the only source for raw sugar. Coca-Cola executives have said they will continue to use cane sugar in their Hawaii drinks for now, but admit that they are currently considering alternatives as well. THOUSANDS of stinging box jellyfish swarmed along Waikiki and Ala Moana beach today, and water safety officials are calling it the worst inundation since last April. Signs were posted and first aid was administered by lifeguards during this latest arrival, which traditionally occurs just over a week after every full moon. The jellyfish should be gone by Thursday... AFTER struggling with a woman jogger outside a Safeway store in Hawaii Kai, a robber was rewarded with $1 -- the net contents of the victim's wallet. The 20-year-old suspect, a Waimanalo resident, was stopped and arrested by police five minutes later along Kalanianaole Highway after an anonymous witness reported the incident and a description of the suspect's car... COMPARED to the same period last year, state tax collections in January are up 6.9 percent. $304.2 million was collected last month -- a $19 million jump from January 1995. Hotel room tax collections, which are a factor in determining the health of the tourism industry, are also up. Hotel tax revenues increased by 35.2 percent, or $2.9 million... TEMPS: O`ahu 82/61, Kaua`i 79/59, Moloka`i 81/62, Maui 83/65, Hilo 81/58 CASTS: Partly cloudy, winds to 15MPH; North & west shore surf to 10 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 12:34PM; Low 6:14PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, February 12, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= COUNCIL TARGETS DEPARTMENT DEPUTIES As a cost cutting measure, members of the Honolulu City Council are proposing a horizontal cut in the county administration. Proponents say $1.96 million a year could be saved by eliminating Honolulu's deputy directors, who are second-in-command within each of the city's departments. The salary of deputy directors is $79,512, and their secretaries make up to $42,792 a year. Managing Director Bob Fishman, like many in the administration, opposes the idea. Fishman says that savings won't come so easily, considering the 12-hour days many deputies put in at their various offices. The work would end up on the shoulders of other employees, Fishman said, who would then have to be paid overtime. Dona Hanaike, director of the parks department, compared her department to a corporation with 10 divisions. As the largest department of the city, Hanaike said, a deputy is vital to keeping things running. Nevertheless, seven members of the council recently introduced a bill that would allow O`ahu voters to decide whether to eliminate the positions. Councilman John Henry Felix, a primary sponsor of the bill, points to the widespread downsizing in the private sector as the reason for "eliminating these layers of bureaucracy and management." OFFICER REACHES OUT AGAIN Police had to arrest one of their own, again. A 30-year-old female HPD officer was arrested last night at Ala Moana Center, one week after being arrested in a Waikiki hotel room. This time, the officer is accused of stealing a $250 telephone from Sears. According to a store security guard, the woman had been acting suspiciously minutes before simply picking up the phone and walking out. She was released later last night after posting $200 bail, and now faces a third-degree theft charge. On Feb. 4, the same officer was arrested on a separate pair of theft charges at the Outrigger Hobron Waikiki. She and two other suspects were found in a room with clothes and pieces of luggage that had been reported stolen from cars in the hotel's parking lot. BEACH ACCESS FEES OUT, OTHER IDEAS SURFACE Keepers of Hawaii parks and beaches still need money to take care of them, but they won't be getting it by charging people for access. So says Board of Land and Natural Resources chairman Mike Wilson, responding to a recent outcry from residents and tourists alike who were already steamed over the city's failed visitors' fee at Hanauma Bay. Last week, a small group of protesters took to Waikiki streets after other DLNR officials opposed Senate Bill 3015 -- a bill that would have banned state and county governments from charging people to visit Hawaii beaches. At the time, state officials highlighted the need for more revenue in order to maintain the parks. Wilson yesterday clarified the department's position, saying that it is against beach-access fees but were concerned the "poorly crafted" bill would have prevented them from exploring other revenue sources. One idea, Wilson said, involves installing parking meters at popular sites. Others include state-run concessions and increasing fishing and camping fees for out-of-state users. SCHOFIELD KIDS COME UP $700 SHORT The school lunch program at Hale Kua Elementary is in debt, and as a result has stopped loaning lunch money to students in order to cut its losses. Earlier this year, the Schofield Barracks school introduced a credit- card system for school lunches. Students could pre-purchase meals, receiving mail notification when balances ran low. In addition, students that forgot to bring lunch money were given the option of borrowing some. Elementary school students, however, turned out to be bad credit risks -- the program is $700 in debt. As of this month, the school will simply give a roll and a drink to students who can't pay for the standard meal. The new bread-and-water policy, however, has angered some parents. According to Principal Lloyd Uradomo, the 1,000-student school serves 750 lunches a day. HIGH WINDS WHIP BIG ISLAND While thinner-skinned islanders shiver in record-low noontime temperatures of 75 degrees, Big Island residents today are picking up the pieces after a windstorm yesterday. Gusts of up to 44MPH were recorded in Hilo, tipping trees and prompting county officials to close area parks. Popular Hapuna Beach Park, located on the west side of the island, was closed because of unusually rough waves. A Wainaku home was damaged when a tree fell on it, and another tipped tree scared beachgoers at Leleiwi Beach Park in Keaukaha. In addition, a sailboat was torn from its mooring and grounded itself off Banyan Drive in Hilo. Winds on the slopes of Mauna Kea clocked in at 80MPH, with even stronger gusts recorded. Weather conditions are expected to mellow tonight and tomorrow, but small-craft advisories remain in effect. SELF RULE, BY ANY OTHER NAME... Plebiscite is too weird a word for most Hawaii residents, or at least too confusing to risk a pivotal vote on the sovereignty issue. So says the Hawaiian Sovereignty Elections Council, which last week renamed its upcoming plebiscite as a "native Hawaiian vote." This year, Hawaiians will determine whether or not they will elect a set of delegates to guide the formation of an independent native Hawaiian government. People of native Hawaiian ancestry around the world are eligible to participate in the July vote, provided they are at least 18 years old by Sept. 2. WORKING late can be dangerous, as it proved to be early yesterday for a 34-year-old Moili`ili man. He is currently in guarded condition after his 39-year-old wife stabbed him with a knife during an argument Sunday morning. She now faces charges of attempted murder. The man and his wife had reportedly been arguing for nearly a week about his late nights at work... FOURTEEN hand-sewn, feather leis were stolen last Tuesday from a hotel museum in Kona. The rare collection of Honolulu artist Hisako Barrow's handiwork, valued at nearly $30,000, was taken from a display case at the Hilton Waikaloa Village. "It's depressing," one hotel spokeswoman said. "What are they going to do, put them on their hat?" TEMPS: O`ahu 82/61, Kaua`i 79/59, Moloka`i 81/62, Maui 83/65, Hilo 81/58 CASTS: Cool, northerly winds to 20MPH. North shore surf to 12 feet. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 9:36AM; Low 4:04PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, February 9, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= NEW CANCER DRUG DEVELOPED AT UH Blue-green algae from Hawaii streams may hold the key to a breakthrough cancer treatment that may stop the growth of -- or even eliminate -- traditionally drug-resistant tumors. Two University of Hawaii scientists have isolated cryptophycins -- a family of drugs -- from local strains of what many would call "pond scum." Mainland scientists have been looking into cryptophycins for their effect on cancer cells. UH chemistry professor Richard Moore and Dr. Susan Mooberry at the university-based Cancer Research Center of Hawaii found Hawaii's blue-green algae to have a unique molecular makeup. They say human tumors were drastically reduced in laboratory animals treated with locally extracted cryptophycins, some practically disappearing. Moore said cryptophycins are especially valuable for patients in whom tumor reduction was minimal, or growth resumes after traditional drug treatments. Eli Lilly & Co. -- a national drug firm -- has already made a deal with UH and its research partner Wayne State University for exclusive rights to the development and commercial release of the drug. CUTS IN NAVY WORKFORCE PROPOSED More than 600 civilian employees of the military will lose their jobs at the Pearl Harbor shipyard and other Navy facilities, under a plan being considered by the Department of Defense. Overall, 15,000 military jobs in the islands would be eliminated -- a move that will cause an estimated yearly loss of $30 million to the state's economy. The cutback in shipyard employees, Navy officials said, are being proposed in anticipation of a 17 percent drop in the facility's workload by December of this year. To offset the reductions, the Navy said it plans to offer 128 employees up to $25,000 each to voluntarily leave their jobs at Pearl Harbor. An additional 504 employees will be relocated to a maintenance facility, and workers may also be laid off at Barbers Point Naval Air Station. The shipyard currently employs 4,132 people, and its annual payroll totals $250 million. The reduction would cut that expenditure by 10 percent, Navy officials said. FEDS WANT ENVIRONMENTAL MONEY RETURNED The federal Environmental Protection Agency wants the state to put money back into its other pocket. Last October, Hawaii's budget crisis prompted the administration to transfer $1.4 million from the Clean Air Act special fund into the state's general fund. At the time, the money was considered excess, as pollution fines made the fund's programs self- supporting. Earlier this week, however, EPA officials determined that money allocated for the Clean Air Act special fund can only be spent on related programs and cannot be diverted. The EPA cited "backlogs" in the state's pollution permit system, saying that the money should be going towards a fully-staffed, fully funded office. Although lawmakers don't intend to ruin their relationship with the EPA, state Budget Director Earl Anzai said he will wait for a second opinion on whether use of the money can be dictated by the agency. "We'll return it if we have to return it," Anzai told _The Advertiser_. "I'll even stick my hand out so they can hit me with a ruler if they want." STATE WORKERS OVERPAID $1.9 MILLION An oversight in paperwork procedures has made state employees richer than they should be. According to an internal audit by the administration, nearly $1.9 million in overpayments were made over the past 17 years. Because paychecks are given out before workers' timecards are reviewed in detail, state officials said, many collected pay for sick or vacation leave that they weren't entitled to. Department of Public Safety employees were the most greedy, taking $940,000 in overpayments. the Department of Education paid out an extra $182,000, and University of Hawaii employees got $163,095 more than they should have. Calling the situation "ridiculous," House Finance Chairman Calvin Say said the overpayments should be deducted from each department's budget. The Attorney General's Office, meanwhile, has indicated that the overpaid employees will be approached to pay the money back -- even those that are no longer on the state's payroll. IRELAND FAMILY SETTLES SUIT The family of Dana Ireland, who died in a yet unsolved murder in 1991, is prepared to settle its wrongful-death suit against Hawaii county. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Ireland was struck by a car while bicycling in the Kapoho subdivision on the Big Island. She was then taken to Waawaa, raped, and left for dead. The family claims that emergency crews were slow to report and slow to react after a Big Island resident reported finding Ireland's about an hour after the attack. Their charges are supported by transcripts of emergency calls. The family of Dana Ireland, who died in a yet unsolved murder in 1991, is prepared to settle its wrongful-death suit against Hawaii county. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Ireland was struck by a car while bicycling in the Kapoho subdivision on the Big Island. She was then taken to Waawaa, raped, and left for dead. The family claims that emergency crews were slow to react after a Big Island resident reported finding Ireland's about an hour after the attack. Their charges are supported by transcripts of emergency calls. The ambulance allegedly took at least two hours to arrive at the scene, and Ireland died about five hours later at Hilo Hospital. The details of the settlement have not been released, but the attorney for Ireland's family said yesterday that no tax money will be used. HANAUMA Bay may still have a price tag. The senate Tourism and Recreation Committee rejected a bill that would have forbidden the state or city to charge fees for access to isle beaches. The decision came yesterday, after city officials expressed opposition, saying that revenues are desperately needed to maintain Hawaii's natural resources... OPIHI are still the deadliest of marine creatures. 38-year-old Big Island resident John Cypriano apparently drowned earlier this week while picking them north of Hookena Beach. He was last seen alive Tuesday morning; his body was found yesterday by a helicopter rescue crew after family reported his opihi-picking gear was missing... CLAIMING that he had AIDS, a 30-year-old Waikiki man threatened a store security guard with a needle after he was approached under suspicion of shoplifting. The guard struggled with the suspect yesterday afternoon at the downtown Woolworth's store, but the man escaped. Police quickly arrested him a few blocks away... THOUGH the waves weren't quite as high as they were on Oahu's north shore, they were still rough enough to overturn a 17-foot boat just off south Maui yesterday. 3- to 4-foot surf swamped the boat soon after it entered the water at Keawakapu. One of the two passengers aboard was injured, and was taken to Maui Memorial Hospital... MONEY was in the eyes of a beholder, who robbed a beauty salon in McCully last night. Police are still looking for the suspect, who brandished a gun during the holdup at "A Salon, Inc." on South King Street... TEMPS: O`ahu 83/69, Kaua`i 82/68, Moloka`i 82/67, Maui 84/67, Hilo 82/66 CASTS: Surf subsiding to 8 feet; winds to 25MPH, chance of showers. FRIDAY'S TIDES: High 7:24AM; Low 2:13PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, February 8, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= TAXPAYERS MAY EARMARK EDUCATION FUNDS Both the higher and lower education committees of the state house passed a bill earlier this week that would add another box to income tax forms. If it is implemented, Hawaii taxpayers will have the option of donating $5 towards public education in the islands. The box is similar to the current option that lets residents give $2 to an election campaign fund. The money raised by the box for education would be split between the University of Hawaii and the Department of Education. State Tax Director Ray Kamikawa spoke against the bill, saying that it just adds more paperwork and threatens the general fund allocations already given to education. The committees modified the original bill to prevent such changes to general funds, and also limited the overhead of managing the "checkoff" to 1 percent of its total revenue. Despite Kamikawa's assertion that donations will quickly dwindle over the years, the bill was passed to allow residents a "symbolic gesture" in showing their support of Hawaii's public education system. COUNCIL LOBBIED FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION During yesterday's opening ceremonies of the Hawaii County Council, a Big Island pastor blessed the meeting, then requested the council's blessing in legalizing marijuana. Religion of Jesus Church Pastor Dennis Shields, a Kona minister since 1976, also urged the council to fund research into the virtues of the drug. Shields referred to a recent San Francisco case in which the use of pot for religious purposes was declared defendable a right. He envisioned a healing house where AIDS, cancer and glaucoma patients would be able to smoke marijuana, which some studies have shown can relieve symptoms. Council Republican spokesman Elroy Osorio was not sympathetic to Shields' mission. "We have too many high people walking around already," Osorio told the _Honolulu Advertiser_. Big Island police have also said they will not relax their enforecement of current drug laws. Shields is currently facing misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana, but his case is awaiting the outcome of another state case. UNIVERSAL GOES DOWN UNDER, SKIPS ISLANDS Hawaii's "Jurassic" dreams are fading, with reports that filming for the sequel to the 1992 movie "Jurassic Park" will take place in New Zealand. Principal scenes for the 1992 blockbuster, which producers say has grossed $300 million to date, were shot on Kaua`i. According to Kaua`i film commissioner Judy Drosd, Universal Pictures wanted a different look for the sequel, "The Lost World." Drosd said, however, that there is some possibility of some secondary filming being done on the island. The upcoming Steven Speilberg film is slated for a Summer 1997 release. Drosd recently told the _Honolulu Advertiser_ that Disney is planning to use Kaua`i for filming two future jungle-based movies, noting that a company executive had seen the island's scenery in a McDonald's commercial. Disney scouts are planning a visit next month. ISLE ARTIST GOES POSTAL WITH RAT Clarence Lee, a graphic artist from Honolulu, is the hand behind a postage stamp being released tomorrow to commemorate the Chinese New Year, which begins Feb. 13. Lee's stamp is the third in a series featuring the animal icons for each year; this year is the Year of the Rat. 93 million of the 32-cent stamps are being produced, part of it intended for the international market and an estimated 15 million stamp collectors in China. It's the Chinese audience that prompted the U.S. Postal Service to ask Lee to design a stamp for all 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, paying him about $4,000 for each artwork. Lee's last stamp, the 29-cent Year of the Boar, was in circulation for just one day -- it was officially released the day before the U.S. Postal Service switched to the 32-cent first-class rate. RALPH Sasson, 49, was arrested yesterday for forging a prescription to obtain a larger supply of the sleeping pill Dalmane. Sasson was arrested at a Waikiki pharmacy when a staffmember became suspicious over the photocopied prescription form. Sasson, a doctor from Brooklyn, reportedly was preparing to open a practice in Hawaii... BANANA man Richard Ha will be running the Hilo coast's first commercial banana farm, with the recent addition of over 275 acres of agricultural land to his current 300-acre plantation. His company already grows more than half of the state's total banana crop. Ha said the expanded company will employ 40 more Big Island residents...
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, February 7, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= RESIDENTS RECALL FATAL END TO HOSTAGE DRAMA The airwaves buzzed today as islanders reacted to yesterday's hostage standoff near Sand Island, which ended when police shot and killed 28-year-old gunman John Nahale Miranda. Miranda, distraught after months of futile attempts to get his construction job back, took four people hostage yesterday morning. He shot Guy George, a 29-year-old company executive, in the leg, who minutes later escaped through a window. Miranda then released two more hostages at about 9:30AM, keeping supervisor Tom McNeil by his side by taping his 12-gauge shotgun to the back of McNeil's head. At 2:34PM, Miranda started a countdown from 60, telling police he'd shoot McNeil when it ended. At 15, McNeil twisted and flailed, dislodging the shotgun seconds before it fired. Police shot Miranda, nine rounds fatally wounding him and ending the seven hour ordeal. McNeil was not injured. HPD has received criticism over its refusal to allow Miranda's family to talk to him during the standoff, and local media are also taking flak for airing the incident live. As of this writing, George remains in guarded condition at Queen's Medical Center. SENATE CONSIDERS BEACH FREE-FOR-ALL In order to circumvent a city plan to reinstate a fee for non-resident visitors to Hanauma Bay, various Senate committees are considering a bill that would forbid charges of any kind to access Hawaii beaches. The Senate Tourism and Recreation Committee yesterday heard testimony from residents and government officials, the latter mostly opposing such a bill. The Honolulu parks department and state land agencies said the revenues from fees are desperately needed to adequately maintain natural resources in the islands. A spokesman for the state parks system said that it is considering parking meters as a source of revenue, instead of an access fee. The city had recently discontinued its fee for visiting the Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, instead opting for a highly-visible mention of optional donations. City officials yesterday also reported that the fees paid by vendors at the bay entrance may be enough to cover the cost of maintenance. Work had begun on drafting a new fee system for bay, in order to raise the estimated $4 million needed to maintain the area each year. STATE ANTICIPATES CARE NEEDS IN 2010 In the first decade of the next century, Hawaii's burgeoning population of "baby boomers" will collectively cross the threshold into the golden years. Members of two legislative committees yesterday -- concerned that the state is nowhere near prepared for such a large swarm of 65th birthdays -- recommended that the House approve a bill that would establish a program to provide long-term care to the elderly and disabled. "This whole thing is a demographic time bomb," said Len Pepper, Chairman of the House Health Committee. Supporters hope the program will support wide-ranging benefits, including day care, nursing home and at-home care. The bill, which may face final action as early as June of next year, now goes to the House Judiciary and Finance committees. Meanwhile, Senate President Norman Mizuguchi has said that sin-taxes, including revenues from the state's potential legalization of gambling, could go directly to such a program, raising as much as $70 million a year. COURT DEFINES TURF IN CITY OPERATIONS Reversing a 1993 law that gave the Honolulu City Council total control over settling lawsuits and other claims against the city, the Hawaii Supreme Court reestablished a division between affairs of the administration and of the council. City officials say that mutual approval of the mayor and the council is already sought in all issues that overlap the jurisdiction of both. The judge turned that courtesy into law, however, following a lawsuit three years ago revealed that the council's total control over city money could translate into power over the selection of the mayor's cabinet and appointed staff. Members of the city council say they are satisfied with the decision, which still maintained most of its control over fiscal matters. Administrative representatives also gave the ruling a nod, pointing out that it reaffirms the state's unique charter language that defines the mayor and the city council as equal branches of government. CLEMENT "Junior" Jumila was sentenced to life in prison on Monday for the 1995 shooting of his girlfriend. Jumila, a 31-year-old Big Island resident, had testified that jealousy over a suspected affair drove him to kill Nermal Ofamen, the mother of two children, after intentionally driving his truck into Ofamen's car... JOGGERS like to run for their lives, but only figuratively. Police are still looking for the owner of a car that allegedly hit a jogger and nearly ran down two bikers on a Pearl City bike path at about 5PM Monday night. The jogger had just reprimanded him for driving on the path... SURPRISED? Hawaii home prices are the highest in the country. So says the National Association of Realtors in their most recent report. During the last quarter of 1995, the average median home price in the islands was $352,000. The national median was $113,000... TEMPS: O`ahu 81/66, Kaua`i 82/66, Moloka`i 84/67, Maui 86/67, Hilo 85/68 CASTS: NW winds to 15MPH, some showers; North and West shore surf to 16 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: 7:13PM; Low 12:53PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, February 6, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Special Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= GUNMAN KILLED AFTER HOSTAGE STANDOFF After holding police at bay for nearly seven hours, a former employee of a Sand Island construction company was killed this afternoon after starting a final countdown to shooting his hostage. HPD sharpshooters fired several rounds at the gunman, tentatively identified as John Kahale Miranda, after his hostage tried to twist free of his grasp at about 2:50 this afternoon. Miranda initially held as many as five hostages, one of whom was shot in the leg but escaped through a window earlier this morning. The drama began just after 8AM, when HPD received an unconfirmed report of "extortion" at the Seal Masters of Hawaii office at 80 Sand Island Access Road. The situation quickly escalated, and witnesses reported hearing several shots fired in the building at around 8:40AM. Miranda then called at least two local radio stations demanding to be put on-the-air live. During an off-air conversation with KSSK deejays, Miranda said he was fired from his waterproofing job just before Christmas last year after four years with the company. He said his friends also lost their jobs, hinting that they layoffs were racially motivated. Miranda also joked about shooting his former supervisor minutes before, tentatively identified as 29-year-old Guy George of Pearl City. Miranda told one radio station that he would miss his 2-year-old daughter, refusing to say what he would do but insisting that he would not be going to prison. Police stopped all traffic on the busy commercial road while SWAT teams and sharpshooters positioned themselves around the building. At one point, according to former hostage Byron Ansai, Miranda had five people inside tied up with duct tape. His initial hostility, Ansai said, was directed at George. Miranda then broke open a window and pushed George's head through it, displaying the gun pressed into his neck. Minutes later, George came through the window and fell 15 feet to the ground. He crawled to safety, and at last report is in guarded condition at Queen's Medical Center after losing extensive amounts of blood. At about 11:50AM, Miranda willingly released four hostages, walking them down a set of steel steps on the street side of the building. Miranda retained one, however, taping one end his 12-gauge, sawed-off shotgun to his hand and the other to his final hostage, tentatively identified as Tom McNeil. Upon trying to re-enter the building Miranda found the door locked, and for the next several hours Miranda argued with police negotiators while holding MacNeil on the stairway. During the standoff, a phone was brought to Miranda in order to communicate with police. Among his demands, police said tonight, was for officers to collect $20,000 in cash, then throw it up in the air at a nearby gas station. Meanwhile, distraught family members arrived on the scene and most of the local television stations preempted their programming for live coverage of the standoff. The ordeal ended after Miranda came down the steps and began a countdown to shooting MacNeil in the back, police say. When Miranda reached 25 or so, MacNeil struggled. Police say two shots were discharged from his shotgun, and officers fired. Miranda was critically injured, taking several gunshot wounds to the chest. MacNeil was not seriously harmed, however, later walking to an ambulance for treatment. Footage of the shoot-out was broadcast by ABC affiliate KITV-4, and as of this writing the incident has made national reports on two networks. Miranda was reportedly a 1985 graduate of Castle High School, and had an extensive police record including abuse of a family member, trespassing, and driving under the influence. He received his first conviction in 1987, at age 20. <> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, February 6, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= GUNMAN KILLED AFTER HOSTAGE STANDOFF [See the special edition of Ka `Upena Kukui focused on this event. -ed.] $11 MILLION TO GO TOWARDS H-3 AWARENESS In the hopes of appeasing disgruntled Hawaiian groups, federal and state agencies are teaming up with the Office of Hawaiian Affairs to build trails, archeological displays and initiate various awareness programs along the entire length of the new H-3 freeway. Built to connect Pearl Harbor with Kaneohe Bay, the freeway has angered some people because its route disturbs several sites of historical and spiritual significance to Hawaiians. After three decades of debate, the freeway -- in a new alignment that cost nearly $15 million to accommodate -- is nearing completion. To make sure residents and visitors can appreciate the area's cultural value, an $11 million plan is in the works to build two interpretive centers at either end and trail signage along the route. The project was one of the conditions set by OHA before the office allowed construction to continue without interference by protesters and other legal action. The plan will be open to public scrutiny and comment during the next week at various sites around Honolulu. PRUEHER TO TAKE COMMAND NEXT WEEK Walking down the tarmac -- painted red white and blue for the occasion -- Admiral Joseph Prueher arrived yesterday at Hickam Air Force Base. Prueher, 55, will be the new commanding officer of the U.S. Pacific Command, effectively placing him at the head of all military operations for the region. Prueher has said little to the press, stopping only briefly to express happiness with the island climate. "When I left," Prueher said, "we had seven inches of snow and it was 16 degrees." Prueher replaces former Commander in Chief Richard Macke, who resigned in November after making controversial remarks about an recent rape of a 12-year-old Okinawan girl by American servicemen. Prueher was appointed last month, despite accusations of impropriety in the handling of a 1989 sexual-harassment incident at the U.S. Naval Academy. A formal change-of-command ceremony will take place on Feb. 13 at Camp Smith in Halawa Heights. KAUAI CALLS LIGHTS OUT Facing a $7.6 million shortfall, Kauai County has approved a plan that will extinguish every other street-light in order to trim its $510,000 electric bill. Department of Public Works officials are reassuring the public, however, that lights in remote areas and at intersections will remain lit. They estimate the plan, which is expected to be fully implemented by March, will save $32,000 from the current fiscal year's power bill, and $96,000 next year. The island's budget woes have spurred other efforts to cut costs and maximize revenue, including a request by Mayor Maryanne Kusaka for more federal money. Kusaka wants to increase the county's $15 million Hurricane Iniki disaster loan to $22.6 million. In addition, city councilmembers last year returned their mandatory pay raises as individual gifts to the county. SENATE PUSHES FORWARD ON SAME-SEX MARRIAGE After deliberating over the weekend, the Senate Judiciary Committee will discuss a bill that would grant same-sex couples the same benefits and responsibilities of married couples, without being officially married. The announcement comes after a meeting last Friday, where law experts testified that the state's current man-woman definition of marriage will not stand the full scrutiny of the Supreme Court. Chairman Rey Graulty said they will proceed with the first hearing on the bill, currently scheduled for Feb. 22, despite the fact that key members of the state House have refused to touch the issue this year. Without definitive action by the legislature, experts say, the court will likely legalize same-sex marriage after a key same-sex marriage lawsuit goes to trial later this year. CITY WEAVES WAY ONTO WEB The hassle of signing on the dotted line may finally subside, on-line. Commonly used city forms -- such as those for a change of address, real property tax appeals and applications for special license plates -- had their debut today on the internet. Last year, City Council staff collected forms from several departments and converted several of them for viewing and printing on the World Wide Web. Saying it will eventually reduce paperwork and save manpower, councilman Andy Mirikitani has also introduced a bill that will require city offices to establish an "electronic forms program." The on-line forms must be printed out and mailed, but Mirikitani said it beats fighting traffic and paying for parking at Honolulu Hale. The forms are at http://www.aloha.net/~andym NEVER missing an opportunity to make things easier for visitors, members of the state House passed a bill yesterday that will take the "Keahole" out of the Keahole-Kona Airport. According to the House Transportation Committee, "Kona Airport" is easier to remember and associate with the Big Island. The bill now goes before the state Senate... ROBBING a bank must have been stressful work for one 25-year-old man, who recovered from the task last night at the Exotic Nights lounge. He was arrested there by police, as a suspect in a Friday robbery at the Kalihi branch of American Savings Bank... MAUI County yesterday committed to $350,000 in upgrades to its clogged sewer system in order to avoid a potential state fine of $890,000. Over 2 million gallons has spilled into streams and the sea over the last three years. Congealed cooking fat was a prime culprit, the county says... TEMPS: O`ahu 80/65, Kaua`i 83/66, Moloka`i 83/66, Maui 84/68, Hilo 84/65 CASTS: Gusts to 25MPH; some showers; North and West shore surf to 12 feet. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: 6:18PM; Low 12:22PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, February 5, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= OFFICER ARRESTED FOR THEFT A female police officer remains in custody today after being arrested on charges of second-degree theft last night. Police say the 30-year-old officer was found with a 32-year-old Pearl City woman and a 33-year-old Waialua man in a Waikiki hotel room during a theft investigation. An officer had reported to the Outrigger Hobron hotel to investigate reports of items being stolen from cars in the parking structure. While there, police say, the officer discovered some of the missing items in another car. The vehicle's parking pass specified the hotel room where the three suspects were found. More luggage and clothes that were reported stolen were found in the room. The patrol officer is a six-year veteran of the force, currently assigned to the Wahiawa district. HPD investigators say she will be placed on administrative leave while they review the case. NEWLYWEDS TAKE PASS ON ISLANDS Hawaii saw 11 percent fewer honeymooners last year than in 1994, despite record-setting numbers of visitors from Asia. According to a report released this week by the Hawaii Visitors Bureau, an 18 percent drop in honeymoon traffic from Asia was the prime cause for the decrease, an estimated 60,000 fewer overall newlyweds than the previous year. Travel analysts also cite a successful tourism campaign by Australian companies, as well as overbooked hotels in the islands during October and November -- prime convention dates for Mainland groups.The numbers have local hotel operators concerned, as Japanese honeymooners are a $1 billion a year industry. According to the HVB, each Japanese couple typically spends $7,000 during the average eight-day trip. Some local wedding business, however, question the HVB's figures, saying numbers were definitely up last year. CAR-POOL COPS TAKE TO STREETS Although they could have mailed the tickets, the Honolulu Police Department opted for a road-side crackdown on car-pool lane violators last week. Officers pulled over and ticketed 91 violators during rush-hour, with overall surveillance uncovering as many as 50 violations per day. Police say that although pulling drivers over is more labor intensive, it has the proven ability to scare drivers into taking the "diamond lane" signs seriously. The first-time fine for not having the required number of passengers in a car while in the car-pool lane is $75. After that, it jumps to $150 for the second, and $200 for the third time within the next year. HOOKED SEAL SURVIVES BEACHING While hundreds of Ala Moana beachgoers stood by, a 300-pound Hawaiian monk seal was relieved of a 3-inch fishing hook yesterday and released successfully back to sea. The animal beached itself at about 1:20PM, apparently distressed and hungry. Two men from the National Marine Fisheries warned back the crowd before administering valium to the seal, then lodging its mouth open with a 2-by-4 to remove a pencil-thick hook from the animal's jaw. After the operation, the seal wriggled into the water and swam out to sea. BIG ISLAND SUICIDES JUMPED IN 1995 According to the Hawaii County branch of the Mental Health Association, 23 people committed suicide on the Big Island last year -- a 45 percent increase from 1994. The latest edition of the MHA's Survey of Social Indicators also shows a 25 percent jump in the number of attempted suicides -- 21 percent of those being under the age of 18. Researchers at the University of Hawaii-Hilo had anticipated some increase in the figures, corresponding with a lingering recession and high unemployment as a result of cutbacks in major industries there. The numbers also confirm suspicions of many Hawaii social workers, who last year predicted more suicides as a result of statewide cuts in various human services. DOE FUNDS LIBRARY COMPUTER UPGRADES The Board of Education this week approved contracts with two Mainland technology firms to upgrade the state library computer system, and improve remote access to its files. Ameritech Library Services will manage the state's primary computer system system, which will track overdue books in addition to providing library access to the internet and other on-line information services. Besides the $593,453 contract, another $98,000 contract was awarded to Information Access Co., which will maintain a database of the full-text versions of magazine articles and other publications. COST FOR TRUSTEE TRAVEL HIGH The nine trustees of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs racked up $164,339 in travel bills during the fiscal year that ended in June of 1995, a per-trustee expense of over $20,000. In addition, all but two took one or more trips out of state. Officials with OHA told the _Star-Bulletin_ that the hefty price-tag is inevitable considering the "complex needs" of OHA beneficiaries. Interisland travel constituted the majority of expenditures, totaling $122,892, while $41,447 went towards international and U.S. visits. Molokai and Lanai trustee Sam Kealoha spent the most on travel, spending over $33,000 while island-hopping, $12,000 of which went towards car rentals and over $11,000 went towards per diem payments. Oahu trustees Billie Beamer and Rowena Akana spent the least, spending only $1,200 for interisland travel. TEMPS: O`ahu 83/70, Kaua`i 77/64, Moloka`i 81/67, Maui 83/67, Hilo 83/65 CASTS: Isolated showers, winds to 20MPH. North & West shore surf to 12 feet. TUESDAY'S TIDES: 5:36PM; Low 11:53AM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, February 2, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= EXPERTS CALL SAME-SEX MARRIAGE INEVITABLE Although the state House has said it will take no more action on the same-sex marriage issue during this session, some groups are saying legislative inaction will probably lead to its legalization in Hawaii -- for better or worse. They say without a definitive ruling by lawmakers, the state will be unable to demonstrate its "compelling interest" in banning same-sex marriages. Under a bill passed in 1994, marriage was defined simply as a union between a man and a woman, and not members of the same sex. "The 1994 bill is an embarrassment," said UH Law Professor Jon Van Dyke, who testified before the House Judiciary Committee today. Committee Chair Rey Graulty agreed, saying, "Unless the legislature does something, same-sex marriage will be the law of the land." However, House Speaker Joe Souki reasserted that lawmakers were not touching the matter until at least next year. "No bill this year," Souki said, "We've done our work on same-sex marriage; we want to proceed on to other business." Souki said he wants to leave the matter to the courts, as a pivotal same-sex marriage case comes before the state supreme court this year. Lawmakers today were urged to pass a compromise domestic-partnership bill this year in order to block court actin in defining marriage. Graulty said he will poll committee members this weekend to determine the viability of passing a domestic-partnership measure. SENATE, HOUSE SET YEAR'S BUDGET Hawaii lawmakers clashed today over the money spent to run the Legislature. While the Senate cut its operating budget by 5 percent this year, the House kept its budget at last year's level -- despite the recent purchase of $100,000 in new furniture. "We made it very clear that we intended to take a cut," said Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Donna Ikeda. "We asked them (the House) to do the same, and they refused." However, House Speaker Joe Souki said, "We have a very thin budget, and it's impossible to cut." Souki also said that the Senate could make a budget cut because of a carry-over surplus from last year's session. Senators countered by saying Souki exaggerated its budget surplus, and pointing out that the House bought new filing cabinets and desks while the Senate made do with what it already had. This year's House budget is $6.9 million, and the Senate budget is $4.8 million, putting the total cost of running the Legislature near $12 million. CARNIVAL EXPECTS RECORD NUMBERS Despite rainy conditions today, residents turned out in droves tonight at the annual Punahou Carnival. The 54-year-old event started as a yearbook fund-raiser, but now the school's building and scholarship programs get a half-million dollar boost from the popular two-day festival. The top seller is again expected to be the malasada, with an expected 320,000 of them bagged and sold by closing tomorrow night. According to carnival coordinator Kathy Sharp, malasada sales bring in $33,000 in business, far outpacing the $15,000 in Portuguese bean soup revenue. E.K. Fernandez, which runs the carnival's many rides, put in two weeks of 16-hour days to set up their half of the show on the Punahou school lawn. The rest of the show was run by a 5,000-strong volunteer workforce of Punahou parents, students, and other volunteers. Spokesman Scott Fernandez said the Punahou Carnival is probably one of the biggest carnivals in the country. SEARCH CONTINUES FOR CALIFORNIA MAN Honolulu Fire Department and Coast Guard rescuers today searched for a California policeman who disappeared yesterday while swimming in waters off Laie. Companions of 27-year-old Jim King -- including his fiancee -- spent the day with rescue crews at Hukilau Park, where they had gone swimming yesterday afternoon. After going too far out, the group waved to shore and a lifeguard rescued two of them with a longboard. The fire department then made its first rescue with its new helicopter, pulling Pete Conrad out of the water. King was last seen about 60 yards offshore, where a witness said he went under and never resurfaced. The search will continue tomorrow. DEFENDANT CALLS STABBING SELF-DEFENSE Opening statements were heard today in the murder trial of Stan Martin. Martin is charged with second degree murder for the fatal 1994 stabbing of Robert Comeaux, whose body was found below Roundtop Drive. City Prosecutor Kevin Takata said Martin stabbed Comeaux repeatedly and viciously before driving up Tantalus and dropping his body over the side. While defense attorney Richard Hoke said Martin does not deny stabbing Comeaux, he says it was done in self defense. Hoke said the two were friends who got into a fight over a gambling debt. The Oct. 6 stabbing took place in the parking lot of the former Gold Bond Building on Ala Moana Boulevard. If convicted, Martin faces a life sentence with the possibility of parole. JUDGE COUNTERS ATTORNEY RIGHTS RULING Fed. Judge David Ezra today defended a right that was recently taken from Hawaii lawyers. Last year, the State Supreme court ruled that if attorneys wanted to speak to members of the jury after a verdict is passed, all attorneys involved in the case would have to be present. One Honolulu lawyer sued, claiming the rule violated his constitutional rights. Ezra agreed, saying the rule violated free speech. KELLY Beck said today that he was "devastated" when he learned his live-in girlfriend was wanted by the FBI for murder. Beck was one of the last people to see Catherine Suh, 26, known locally as Tiffini Escada. Suh was convicted of murder in Chicago two years ago, but has been hiding out in Hawaii and living the good life as Tiffini. She was featured on last Saturday's "America's Most Wanted," and was last seen Wednesday afternoon in Makiki... ANGRY about a delay in obtaining a furlough pass for his wife, the husband of a Women's Correctional Facility inmate was arrested Thursday for making threats against a prison social worker. Larry Schaffer was booked and released today on charges of terroristic threatening... HEADED for San Diego from Kauai, an Australian couple didn't get any further than the waters off O`ahu. Rescue crews pulled a man and his fiancee off their 30-foot sailboat yesterday afternoon after it got stranded on the rocks off Honolulu International Airport's reef runway... TEMPS: O`ahu 78/71, Kaua`i 74/65, Moloka`i 72/68, Maui 94/63, Hilo 79/60 CASTS: Sunny; North and west shore surf 6 to 10 feet; trades to 25MPH. SATURDAY'S TIDES: High 3:43AM; Low 9:11AM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, February 1, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= HIGH THREE THROWN OUT BY SENATE In a unanimous vote today, the state Senate approved several changes to the State Retirement System -- including the elimination of the "High Three" perk. That benefit doubles legislators' pensions if they are appointed to higher-paying positions after leaving their elected seats. Many critics of the "High Three" said it tempted lawmakers to cater to the governor in order to pad their retirement. Champions of the change said today, however, that ethics were only part of the reason. "While we should strive to remove appearances of impropriety," Sen. Donna Ikeda said today, "It is the intent of this measure to create equity in retirement compensation for public employees." Earlier this week, Gov. Cayetano said he opposed removing the perk, saying that such a move could be unconstitutional in that it could affect people who have already left the legislature. Those people include Cayetano himself, in addition to Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono and several of his top appointees. With today's approval, the bill moves to the state House. House leaders have said the bill will likely be killed there, as many feel the change could cause experienced legislators to leave public service. "MOST WANTED" WOMAN LAST SEEN IN HONOLULU The FBI is asking for the public's help in locating a woman who took out a life insurance policy on her boyfriend before killing him in 1993, and who is suspected of killing her mother six years earlier. 26-year-old Catherine Siu, alias Tiffany Escada, was a frequent patron of high-class establishments on O`ahu, including Nicholas Nicholas and Gordon Biersch. When she was featured on "America's Most Wanted" last Saturday, however, she disappeared. FBI spokesman John Pikus said today that Siu -- called the "Black Widow" by some detectives -- was last seen yesterday morning outside an apartment complex on Makiki Street. Many who have seen her don't easily forget her, Pikus said. "When she walks into a room, you notice her," he said. "She's a high dresser, and she hangs out in only the best places." Siu was convicted four months ago for killing her boyfriend, on whom she'd taken out a life- insurance policy worth over $1 million. Ironically, that boyfriend was her alibi during the 1987 investigation of her mother's murder. Pictures of Siu have been posted at every checkpoint at Honolulu International Airport. If she leaves the state, investigators suspect she may head for Los Angeles. VOLCANIC TREMORS PUT BIG ISLE ON ALERT Access to most of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park remains closed tonight, after early morning reports of a possible summit eruption prompted a shutdown of the entire park. The summit has not seen an eruption since 1982. Geologists at the Hawaii Volcano Observatory reported heavy swarms of tremors directly underneath the caldera, located on the southern side of Kilauea Crater. Beginning at approximately 8:30AM, small earthquakes set off detectors every 30 seconds for nearly four hours. The national park was then closed, except for the segment of road connecting the park's entrance to Kilauea Military Camp. Scientists say the tremors indicated that lava was near the surface, resulting from a surge of lava deep below the volcano. However, just after noon today, the tremors subsided. The decrease in activity was accompanied by a jump in the volume of lava pouring out at Pu`uo`o, a volcanic vent miles downslope. Scientists say lava is erupting there at three times the normal rate. STATE SUED FOR WEAK CHILD-SUPPORT EFFORTS A class-action suit was filed today against the state's Child Support Enforcement Agency. Claiming inaction after years of complaints, the women sued, saying the agency consistently fails to get money to the children who need it. "Unless something is done," said Rep. Cynthia Thielen, "I would say we are not helping the children in our state." Thielen said the agency has received substantial financial support from the legislature, but the results remain to be seen. SEA spokesman Michael Meany insisted his staff is doing the best it can. "The people here are very dedicated civil servants," he said. "Like any other agency, we're not perfect." In Hawaii, 29 percent of kids receive their support. The state ranks 9th best in the nation, compared to first-ranked Minnesota with a success rate of 35 percent. SENATE PASSES NO-FAULT REFORM Only four senators -- all of them attorneys -- voted against a sweeping reform bill today which supporters say will cut insurance premiums in half... at the expense of most residents' right to sue. The senate gallery was filled with trial attorneys, some holding signs expressing opposition to the bill. "This bill takes rights away from responsible citizens," said Judiciary Chair Rey Graulty, "and protects the irresponsible." Bill author Sen. Milton Holt called Graulty's comments misleading, pointing out that lawsuits would be allowed in cases where there is criminal conduct. Otherwise, lawsuits will only be allowed if damages are greater than $250,000. The current cutoff is $11,000. The bill now moves to the state house for deliberation. GATES OPEN FOR CITY OFFICES Today was the first day nomination papers could be picked up by people seeking elected city positions, but according to the City Clerk's office, no familiar faces showed up. Journalists are eagerly awaiting the official filing of papers by candidates running for mayor and city prosecutor. Among those vying to be Honolulu's next mayor: Mayor Jeremy Harris seeking re- election, Arnold Morgado (who came in second during the last mayoral election) and former mayor Frank Fasi, who has hinted strongly that he will try again. Running to replace City Prosecutor Keith Kaneshiro -- who will not return after this year -- are former Deputy City Prosecutors Peter Carlisle and Randall Yoshida. The deadline to file is July 23. TOP ATHLETES TEMPT PRE-TEEN TUMMIES Lucky students of Nuuanu's Maemae Elementary School got a taste of what it's like to be a football star -- or at least eat like one. Stephanie Koga, food service manager for the school, tried out recipes from a new book today: "Cooking with the Champions," featuring the favorite dishes of the San Francisco 49ers. Offensive lineman Jesse Sapolu was on hand today to sample a plate of his own chicken hekka. The book is being promoted as part of a nutrition education program in Hawaii schools. Educators are hopeful that the book's use of celebrity names and sports terms will motivate students to pay more attention to diet and overall fitness. NEITHER Brad Owen Washburn nor his 1-year-old son Scott Matsumoto Washburn has been seen since last week. Honolulu police and the State Clearinghouse on Missing Children today asked for help in the search for the child, whom they say was being illegally concealed from his mother. Brad Washburn had recently moved here from Guam with Scott and his mother. Anyone with more information should call the clearinghouse at (808) 586-1449. SEVERAL Democrats were absent from the audience during French president Jacques Chirac speech before the U.S. legislature today, including Hawaii Rep. Patsy Mink. Mink led a boycott of Chirac's speech, in protest of his government's recent nuclear tests at the Muraoa Atoll in the South Pacific. Mink pointed out that the tests were done despite the opposition of nearly 170 nations worldwide... AFTER jurors reported that they were unable to reach a verdict, a mistrial was declared today in the murder trial of Ted Anderson. Anderson was charged with killing a male hairdresser in 1993, which he said he did out of self- defense. Prosecutors say they will seek to try Anderson again... MEMBERS of the 51-seat state House today contributed 51 teddy bears to the local "Bears to Bosnia" campaign. Volunteers are hoping to collect 10,000 stuffed animals to be airlifted by military personnel to children in Bosnia as part of a non-political peace effort... TEMPS: O`ahu 79/63, Kaua`i 78/64, Moloka`i 80/65, Maui 79/65, Hilo 77/65 CASTS: Clear morning skies, some rain and winds by night; surf to 6 feet. FRIDAY'S TIDES: High 3:04PM; Low 10:11AM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Wednesday, January 31, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= PRINCIPALS WANT KIDS WHO WANT OUT, OUT They account for only 5 percent of students, but Hawaii teachers estimate they consume as much as 25 percent of their attention. They're distracted, disruptive students -- but state law keeps them in classrooms until age 18. Some O`ahu high school principals want to change all that, today urging lawmakers to lower the compulsory education age. ""The reality is forcing them simply doesn't work," said Farrington High School Principal Cathrine Pane, "They simply are refusing to take advantage of the opportunities." Pane wants students to be able to leave school as early as age 16 or 17. Historically, the Board of Education and Department of Education have opposed such a move. BOE Chair Mitsugi Nakashima said today that kicking kids out of schools could be seen as a sign that schools are failing to do their job. Nakashima questioned who would be responsible for the kids outside of school, and whether adequate alternative programs exist to accommodate them. Although the chairs of both the Education and Judiciary committees said they have the needed votes to approve the change, they deferred action today in order to take more input. "This is a significant change in public policy," said Education Committee Chair Avery Chumbley. "I want to hear more from the principals, teachers, and community at large." CITY WANTS SPORTS COMPLEX AT BARBERS POINT One of over 30 proposals being considered by the Barbers Point Reuse Commission got the green light by a key City Council committee today. Members of the Economic Development and Planning Committee endorsed a plan to build a multi-million dollar, world-class sports and recreation complex at the recently closed Barbers Point Naval Air Station. The eventual use of the 2,100 acre site, which features substantial stretches of shoreline, is a hot topic for Leeward coast residents -- many of whom welcome the proposed sports facilities. "This is our vision, this is what we want," said Kapolei Neighborhood Board member Mark Moses. "We're happy that the city is on board." Gov. Ben Cayetano, however, had earlier endorsed another plan that would build a second airport at Barbers Point. "I know of only three people [in the entire district] that want an airport," Moses said. The city's plan features an Olympic Village-style "Pacific International Sports Center," a "Pacific Rowing Regatta," and centers for motorsports, baseball and other field sports, and equestrian events. In addition, the city is considering building a Drug Treatment Center for convicts and accommodations for Oahu's homeless population. Proponents say the project would attract international interest in addition to serving the needs of local residents. TWO TEENS SOUGHT FOR SCHOOL SCUFFLE The tide has turned in a police investigation of a recent fight between a Moanalua High School teacher and a group of students. Police today moved to arrest 16-year-old Frances Loo and 17-year-old Brian Angeles for second- degree assault, after new information indicated that the teacher had acted in self-defense. Police originally arrested 31-year-old math teacher Larry Cook on Jan. 18, after students said he threw the first punch in an early-morning argument. Cook -- a day away from earning his tenure when the incident occurred -- later plead not-guilty to the assault charge. Since then, police have questioned a slate of witnesses who did not initially come forward, and investigators say they corroborated Cook's account of what happened. The hostilities apparently began the day before, when Cook asked students loitering in a stairwell to clear a path. The next day, Cook was confronted by a group of students outside his classroom. After inviting two of them inside to resolve the dispute, a stapler was allegedly thrown at Cook by the younger of the suspects, who then charged. The other student reportedly slapped Cook in the head. HPD CLOSES IN ON JEWELRY THIEVES Eight watches, altogether worth over $1 million, were stolen from a Waikiki jewelry store in April of 1994. Honolulu police now have one of four suspects in custody, and are asking the public's health in finding his accomplices. Aleksandar Vukcevic, 45, was flown to Hawaii on Monday after being arrested in New York, and now faces federal charges of transporting stolen property across state lines. Still wanted are 49-year-old Jure Armanda, Dragon Vidovic, and Vinko Osmakcic. Police say the men, all illegal aliens, liked to live the good life while in the islands. Records show Vukcevic stayed in an upscale hotel for three days before the robbery, and witnesses in the case say all three were always dressed to the nines. In addition, investigators say the men liked to date local women, including a yet-unidentified professor at the University of Hawaii. MAN TAKES STAND IN WAIKIKI MURDER 21-year-old Ted Anderson testified in Circuit Court yesterday, saying that he killed a Honolulu hairdresser when he thought the victim was going to rape him. Anderson said he was drinking in Waikiki in April of 1993, and awoke at around midnight to find himself in the apartment of Nick Lee. He said he accepted Lee's invitation to spend the night, but later found his naked host in the room, drinking. Anderson said he acted in defense, choking Lee and then returning with a kitchen knife to slit his throat. Anderson faces second-degree murder charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole. STARTING tomorrow morning, the only taxis people can catch at Honolulu International Airport will belong to Sida Taxi Co. The state awarded a 6- month exclusive contract to Sida today, taking the privilege from competitor OTM Inc. which has recently filed suit against the state for $4 million. During the next six months, the state will review its rules concerning exclusive service contracts for the airport... EVERYONE has an inner child, but never hundreds of them. Police today arrested 42-year-old Phillip Reed, who is charged with illegally obtaining excessive amounts of the drug Ritalin. Reed reportedly obtained 620 tablets of the drug, three times the legal amount, from four different doctors over a two-month period. Ritalin, primarily used to calm hyperactive kids, has an opposite effect on adults. Bail has been set at $25,000... VISITORS to Iolani Palace will soon be paying more to tour the historic landmark. As of March 1, the fee for adults will be raised to $8 from the current $6, and student tours will no longer be free. Children's admission will now be $2... TEMPS: O`ahu 80/67, Kaua`i 78/65, Moloka`i 80/67, Maui 79/68, Hilo 76/67 CASTS: High wind warning, heavy rains and thundershowers, low temperatures. FRIDAY'S TIDES: High 2:25PM; Low 9:44AM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, January 30, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= GROUPS PUSH STATE TO BATTLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE At a rally today at the State Capitol, members of several women's groups pushed lawmakers to pass a series of bills to put more bite into the fight against domestic abuse. One bill backed by the Hawaii Women's Political Coalition would allocate $400,000 to start a pilot program, which would teach anger management and violence prevention to kids at 15 public schools. "Quite frankly it's too exhausting to amend laws dealing with violence, to raise penalties," Rep. Annelle Amaral said today. "Let's teach the next generation another way to do it so we can stop this cycle of violence." Police Chief Michael Nakamura told rally participants that ending domestic violence was the first priority of the police force this year. Specifically, the department has implemented a no-tolerance policy for people who violate restraining orders. "Regardless of how long it takes us," Nakamura said, "We'll track down that individual." A second bill advocated at today's rally would help abused women extend their protection orders more easily, and another would deal with "economic violence" against women by taking away drivers licenses of men who refuse to pay child support. TEENS MAY HAVE TO WAIT FOR WHEELS House Transportation Committee members reviewed a bill yesterday that would ban people under the age of 17 from getting driver's licenses. Based on a model suggested by federal traffic safety officials, the bill aims to make teenage drivers earn road privileges in a series of steps: learner's permits, available at age 15-and-a-half, would still require drivers be accompanied by an adult; additionally, six months must pass without an accident or conviction in order to be eligible for an "intermediate" license at age 16; with the intermediate license, adult accompaniment would be required for night-driving and a full year without trouble would then have to pass before being eligible for a full license at age 18. Proponents of the bill point to figures that show drivers age 15 to 17 make up less than 3 percent of Hawaii's license-holders, but account for over 5 percent of the state's traffic fatalities. There is currently no related bill before the Senate, but Sen. Lehua Fernandez-Salling of the Senate Transportation Committee said one would be considered if the House passes its version. CAYETANO PROMISES TO CARRY WELFARE PROGRAMS In a meeting today with representatives from 12 human services organizations, Gov. Ben Cayetano promised that he would find the $5 million needed to cover the operating costs of several state welfare programs until this summer. Earlier this week, Cayetano pushed the legislature for authority to implement a 6-month time limit on payments to people suffering from temporary disabilities, such as mental illness or substance abuse. Advocates for the poor told Cayetano today that such a move could put as many as 8,000 disabled residents in dire straits, if not out in the streets. In addition to extending support while he examines the issue more closely, Cayetano also asked the representatives to work with other lawmakers in trying to find ways to get people qualified for aid more quickly. BUYOUT APPROVED BY HAWAIIAN INVESTORS Hawaiian Airlines shareholders voted today to approve a much-anticipated $20 million buyout by a mainland company. 98% of the shareholder votes were in favor of the plan, which gives controlling interest of the company to New York-based Smith Management. Investors also voted to increase company stock from 40 to 60 million shares, although none will be offered publicly in the near future. After the vote, company employees and executives discussed ideas to make the beleaguered airline profitable again. Among them, a partnership with other airlines -- such as newcomer Mahalo Air -- to fly more interisland routes, and moving in the direction of mainland carriers by selling space on its airplanes' bodies for advertising. BAR OWNERS CLAIMS DEBT "INCONCEIVABLE" In a faxed statement to local media today, the owners of two Aloha Tower Marketplace restaurants said they never missed a single rent payment. ATM management closed Fat Tuesday and Sloppy Joe's yesterday morning, claiming that rent for the two lots they occupied had not been paid since last May. Representatives for Honolulu Limited Partnership responded from Florida today, saying that the company filed for bankruptcy protection in order to halt eviction proceedings. According to the statement, rent for the two popular hangouts was paid consistently since they opened in November of 1994, with over $425,000 in rent paid last year. "It is inconceivable that we owe an additional $491,000 in back rent," company officials said. SUGAR COMPANIES FACE MORE REGULATIONS The State Health Department has proposed changes to its current system of awarding "burning permits," which most directly affect sugar companies that use cane fires to harvest their fields. The move comes after an incident in March of last year when residents had to be treated for smoke-inhalation symptoms after winds blew cane smoke over a golf course in Kapolei. The new permit requirements would ban the burning of fields during peak traffic hours, during church services, and while nearby schools are in session. In addition, companies would have to develop plans for supervising fires and identify problematic fields to determine how best to burn them -- if at all. STORMS PUT ISLANDS ON ALERT A severe thunderstorm warning is currently in effect for O`ahu, and National Weather Service officials say there is a possibility of tornadoes, water spouts or funnel-clouds developing within the next 12 hours. A high- wind warning has been issued for Kaua`i, O`ahu, and the high summits on Maui and the Big Island. Wind gusts up to 90MPH have been reported at the top of Mauna Kea, and over 3" inches of rain have fallen within a 4 hour period on other areas of the Big Island. Weather officials say the severe conditions are the result of a line of thunderclouds passing over the islands, which is currently moving eastward at about 40MPH. ALOHA SPIRIT ON THE AIR IN CALIFORNIA Five years ago, "Auntie Nora" Galiza -- frustrated that no local stations were playing Hawaiian music -- started a one-hour show on NPR affiliate KHDC 90.9FM in Salinas, California. Each year, moral and financial support from Monterey Bay listeners intensified, and now "Auntie Nora" is one of five DJs on an all-day, all-Hawaiian program each Sunday. In addition to music, local concert information and luau reviews, these airwave-ambassadors of aloha introduced another feature earlier this month: News of Hawaii, courtesy the Hawaii NewsList and its many contributors. NewsList subscriber Maria Hickling developed the idea, and now broadcasts custom summaries of Honolulu, Maui and Molokai news items each week. KHDC runs entirely on listner donations, and the Hawaiian DJs take music requests throughout the 10AM to 7PM program at (408) 758-KHDC. HAWAII TO SEND STUFFED SENTIMENTS TO SARAJEVO Teddy bears -- 10,000 of them -- are being sent by Hawaii residents to the people of Sarajevo in war-torn Bosnia. The "apolitical" peace effort, "To Bosnia With Love," has garnered the support of Aloha Airlines and the U.S. Army in order to collect the stuffed-animals from all islands and get them to the area by Valentine's Day. Hawaii schools have rallied their own donation drives, Kahala Elementary contributing 350 bears this week. The effort was started by Honolulu architect Christopher Belknap and long-time volunteer organizers with Unity Church. Teddy bears will be collected at the project's collection center at 825 Kapiolani Blvd. from 6 to 9PM Mondays thru Fridays, or curbside at the State Capitol on Saturdays from 10AM to 2PM. For more information, call (808) 536-6464. MARK your calendars! Gov. Ben Cayetano today declared the month of February "University of Hawaii Alumni Association Member Campaign Month." The association hopes to sign up another 4,000 UH graduates during the next few weeks. For more information, contact Mona Chock at monac@hawaii.edu -- and tell her where you heard about it... POLICE last night were holding a 44-year-old Kailua man after a shot he allegedly fired in his Olomana St. duplex went through a wall and nearly hit one of his neighbors and her 3-year-old child. The suspect was having an argument with his wife at about 6:23PM yesterday when it happened... CORRECTION: The names of the two passengers on-board the twin-engine TransAir plane that crashed yesterday morning are Russel Dinh, 31, and 24-year-old Gye Nitta. Their names were spelled incorrectly in yesterday's Ka `Upena... TEMPS: O`ahu 81/71, Kaua`i 79/66, Moloka`i 81/70, Maui 82/69, Hilo 79/69 CASTS: High wind warning, heavy rains and thundershowers, low temperatures. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 1:44PM; Low 9:18AM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, January 29, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= BIG ISLAND CRASH KILLS PILOT, INJURES TWO Federal investigators are still trying to determine what caused a twin- engine plane to crash soon after take-off at the Waimea-Kohala Airport on the Big Island. The TransAir Cessna had just delivered mail to Kamuela and was en route back to Honolulu when it crashed at about 5AM this morning. The pilot, 29-year-old Merlin Reed, was killed. The plane's two passengers -- 31-year- old Russel Din and 24-year-old Guy Nita -- were injured and are currently being treated at Hilo Medical Center. Parts of the plane were scattered up to 75 yards around the crash site, located on Parker Ranch property about three- quarters of a mile from the airport. Investigators say Nita, despite multiple fractures, walked nearly a mile and crossed two fences to get back to the airport. All three men were employees of TransAir, a 12-year-old passenger and air-cargo company based in Honolulu. BILL TO KILL HIGH THREE ADVANCES With a unanimous vote today by two separate legislative committees, a bill to eliminate the "High Three" perk for state lawmakers will now move forward to a vote by the full senate. Proponents of the bill say the "High Three" -- which doubles retirement pensions to legislators who win appointments to higher-paying cabinet jobs -- can breed corruption when it comes to voting for bills supported by the current administration. Senate Malama Solomon defended the benefit, and others said the "High Three" is needed because no other career is available for many lawmakers after retiring from legislative offices. "I'd hate to think that my public service is now a disservice to me," Solomon said. The State Employee Retirement System today advocated the elimination of the "High Three," but added that it should only affect newly elected members of the legislature to be fair to those that have already been contributing towards their retirement. Even so, the bill as passed today will affect all current and new members of the legislature. The bill will have some resistance in the House of Representatives, as Speaker Joe Souki has spoken in favor of retaining the "High Three." MARKETPLACE BARS CLOSED "Sloppy Joe's" and "Fat Tuesday," two trademark restaurants at Aloha Tower Marketplace, were shut down today by ATM management. The closure was ordered by a judge after the complex's landlords sued the mainland-based operators of the two bars for several months of back rent. Honolulu Limited Partnership -- the parent company for the two hangout spots -- owes over $400,000 in back rent. The company stopped paying last May over a dispute that the bars were not given the amount of retail space they were promised. After the grievance was rejected in court, ATM management proceeded with the closure. Without repayment, ATM says it already has merchants waiting in line to inherit the two waterfront lots, and that they would be able to open within 14 to 30 days from now. Management for the two restaurants advised employees not to talk to the press, and legal advisers for the company refused comment today. Meanwhile, Honolulu Limited Partnership reportedly filed for bankruptcy reorganization this week in Orlando, FL. AIR RESCUERS BACK IN THE SKIES Lost hikers again have a better chance of returning safely from O`ahu trails with yesterday's dedication of "Air One," a new helicopter purchased for the Honolulu Fire Department. The chopper brings the total air-rescue fleet for the city back to one, after two crashes late last year took the remaining choppers out of commission. After a blessing by a Hawaiian priest, pilot Kalani Wilmington took "Air One" for an inaugural flight. Wilmington, who was the pilot in the last crash, and said yesterday that "It's just good to be able to respond [to emergency calls] again." Featuring a rotor-less tail, the helicopter is said to be more stable and safer than conventional designs. The city bought the helicopter with insurance money awarded in the earlier crashes. LAWMAKERS STEERING TOWARDS SAFETY-CHECK REFORM Despite efforts by the Cayetano administration to abolish the automobile safety-check program, isle legislators are currently considering a bill that would make it more strict. The bill will make safety-check inspections more thorough and intensify regulation of safety-check stations by way of more frequent visits by state regulators. "You can't go around shopping for an inspector who'll pass your car," said House Transportation Committee Chairman Ken Hiraki. Under the bill -- currently before the Judiciary Committee -- violators will have to surrender their registration and license plates. Up until 1988, the Federal government had required that states have automobile safety inspection programs. Since being abolished, more than half have abolished the safety-check system. AMERON BRINGS ROCKS, CITY BRINGS HARD PLACE Construction company Ameron HC&D donated several tons of rock and gravel to residents and farmers in Maunawili Valley today, helping them rebuild after last week's storm. 40 people were stranded in an area just off Maunawili Road after heavy rains washed out their only access bridge. With today's contribution, Maunawili residents can build a new one. Residents said they hope the stream crossing can be restored as early as the end of this week. Civil Defense officials and city engineers also showed up for the first time today, helping in their own special way by giving the Maunawili Farmers Association a list of permits they need to obtain before starting on the project. COURT FINDS "CAT WOMAN" GUILTY Four days into her trial, 64-year-old Frances Hloboky was found guilty of cruelty to animals today in District Court. Hloboky was accused of mistreating the 240 or so cats she kept as pets in her Nuuanu home. Last year, Humane Society officials retrieved over 200 felines from the Judd St. residence, finding many of the animals sick and injured. The Humane Society has cared for Hloboky's cats since, at a cost of over $50,000. Hloboky, who will be sentenced on Feb. 23, faces a year in prison and $200,000 in fines. FRIENDS don't let friends drink and dive... or do they? A 20-year-old Aala St. resident was treated yesterday at Queen's Medical Center after a fight between he and a friend turned physical. The two were at a Luawai St. home when a bottle of Red Dog Beer, administered to the head, ended their exchange. A 23-year-old man was arrested for attempted murder... MAUI Memorial Hospital needs to increase revenues and reform collection practices. So says State Auditor Marion Higa, investigating how the hospital can dig itself out of the $16 million debt it owes the state. One suggestion: ending the practice of granting cash discounts to insurers, which the Auditor's Office led to $3 million in lost revenue last year... POLICE this morning raced to the Old Kaiser Estate in Hawaii Kai after residents reported a bomb had possibly gone off in the area. Upon investigation, fire officials determined that a gas explosion is what led to the 9:30AM explosion, which blew out a cinder-block wall and had some neighbors wondering if they'd heard a sonic-boom... ANOTHER local media outlet has gone and gotten itself wired. CBS affiliate KGMB-9 can be reached at KGMB99c@prodigy.com, joining several island peers who inexplicably opt to get their internet access from a mainland provider rather than a Hawaii-based one... TEMPS: O`ahu 83/70, Kaua`i 78/67, Moloka`i 80/69, Maui 82/70, Hilo 79/68 CASTS: Chance of showers, winds to 15MPH; Surf to 8 feet on West shores. TUESDAY'S TIDES: High 12:56PM; Low 6:37PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Friday, January 26, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= LEGISLATURE MOVE TO KILL PENSION PLUS Members of key Senate committees will meet on Monday to discuss three bills coming before the state Legislature this year, making the first move in the proposed elimination of one of their own job perks. "There may be some amendments," Ways and Means Chairwoman Donna Ikeda said today, "But we will be passing a bill to eliminate the High Three." The High Three plan doubles a lawmaker's pension if he serves more than 10 years in the House or Senate and moves on to serve at least 3 more years in a higher-paying state job. Some legislators already want to water-down the bill, in order to keep the High Three for current -- but not future -- members. "The current legislators would get that credit and would be entitled to that High 3," said Richard Port, Democratic Party Chairman, "but no future elected official would be able to benefit from the current plan." Port said that the security offered by the plan was one of the incentives current elected officials had in seeking their positions. House Speaker Joe Souki comments, "I don't think I'll ever benefit from the High Three, but I think it's discriminatory that members of the legislature who are qualified should not be given the opportunity to." CITY, ESTATE ACCEPT COURT HELP IN DISPUTE Bishop Estate and the city today filed papers in federal court today, taking another step towards resolving the long-standing debate over the estate's halted development on Sandy Beach. "This has happened on the Mainland a number of times, where the court has overseen land disputes," said Bishop Estate spokesman Jim Boersma, "but in Hawaii this is the first time." Last October, the City Council voted 5-4 to use the court process to settle Bishop Estate's claim that it is owed money by the city because it was prevented from building on its own land near Sandy Beach. Developers Bishop Estate and Kaiser Development want to build hotel and commercial properties there, in addition to 1,700 additional residential units. A settlement is not expected until the end of this year. Councilmembers Jon Yoshimura, Duke Bainum, John Henry Felix, and Steve Holmes -- the same four who originally voted against the settlement process -- today reiterated their opposition. In addition, they pushed for a "Save Queen's Beach" effort to stop another Kaiser project. The councilmembers want to create a Kaiwi Coast Wilderness Park, a position supported by a recent Environmental Impact Statement which also suggested that the state consider a land swap to preserve the Queen's Beach area. GROUPS URGE EVICTION REFORM, CONTINUATION A group of representatives from several Hawaiian groups met today in Honolulu, while Hilbert Kahale Smith was buried on the island of Kaua`i. Smith died when he set fire to his Anahole Homestead home last Thursday as state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands officials were trying to evict him. The group observed a moment of silence for Smith, then strongly advocated that the process of evicting homeowners be reformed. One way, said spokesman Kamaki Kanahele, is to create a commission run by residents of DHHL homes. "If decisions are to be made affecting our people then let the accountability be ours," Kanahele said, "We can no longer contend with this state's agenda in controlling our lives." The group said, however, that evictions cannot be stopped altogether. "The amounts owed from more than 700 beneficiaries amounts to more than $18 million," said member Peter Kama. "This money, if paid, could be used to put more Hawaiians on Hawaiian Home Lands." MAN CHARGED FOR TORCHING HOME Police today charged 43-year-old Larry Thomas with criminal property damage for allegedly setting fire to the house he rents in Ewa Beach. Fire crews were called to the Laualu Place home at about 6:30PM yesterday evening. A witness said he saw Thomas running away from his home as emergency crews arrived, and investigators say newspapers and catalogs were set on fire in every room of the house. Police say Thomas later confessed to setting the blaze. Bail was set at $50,000. DEMS CAST HOPES FOR 1996 In addition to eliminating their own "High 3" perk, the Hawaii Democratic Party released its "Wish List" of future legislation today. Among them, passing "long-term care" measures, raising Hawaii's minimum wage over several years from $5.25 to $7.50 per hour, and reforming tax laws so those making more than $75,000 a year would pay more income tax. "Currently, a chief executive or Bishop Estate trustee pays the same personal income tax as a person who is an electrician or a plumber," said party chairman Richard Port. "We don't think that's appropriate." DWIGHT Kealoha bid farewell today to 30 years in the Air Force and over 2 years as commander of the 15th Airbase Wing at Hickam Air Force Base. Retiring as a Brigadier General, Kealoha originally graduated from Iolani and the University of Hawaii before embarking on an extensive career in the service -- including flying 300 combat missions in Vietnam. Kealoha won't be retired for long, however: on Feb. 1, he will assume command of the Hawaii Air National Guard... RESERVES of blood are at dangerously low levels, and as a result, the Blood Bank of Hawaii has committed to keeping its doors open all weekend, including Super Bowl Sunday. The Blood Bank issued an appeal earlier this week for all types of blood donors as its blood supplies dropped to below half of what they should be. Donation offices will be open from 6:30AM to 2:00PM, or as long as there are donors. Call 845-9966 for more information... CONSUMER advocates are again pushing a bill that would create the position of an insurance commissioner that is elected by the public. With the ongoing effort to reform Hawaii's no-fault auto insurance laws, supporters say the position would allow residents better representation in disputes over rates and policies. Opponents say the idea has been examined before, but concerns that popular choices with voters would hurt the industry killed it... EIGHT lizards have been turned in to the state this week. Not to be outdone by a man who turned in a Cuban night anole a few days ago, another man brought seven of the large lizards to the quarantine station at Kewalo Basin. The lizards, 10- to 16-inches in length, are illegal residents in Hawaii. The state does not prosecute people who willingly turn in illegal animals... RICHARD Wells, 67, pled guilty today to one of 21 initial counts of securities fraud. Wells reportedly cheated Hawaii investors out of $8.7 million dollars nearly ten years ago. Wells has already served 3 years in prison. His wife, Joyce, pled guilty to the same charges yesterday... WHILE O`ahu homes were flooded yesterday by heavy rains, scientists on Mauna Kea had a different problem -- a snowstorm. Winds up to 50MPH scattered a blanket of snow from the 10,000 foot level up to the summit, covering access roads faster than they could be plowed... BETWEEN July of 1994 and 1995, the Census Bureau reports that Hawaii's population increased by 9,000 people, bringing the total number of residents statewide to 1.8 million people... TEMPS: O`ahu 79/72, Kaua`i 78/68, Moloka`i 79/68, Maui 83/69, Hilo 80/68 CASTS: More showers, winds to 20MPH. Surf to 5 feet on east shores. SATURDAY'S TIDES: High 9:15AM; Low 4:08PM SUNDAY'S TIDES: High 10:33AM; Low 4:58PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Thursday, January 25, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= HEAVY RAINS FLOOD HOMES, SPILL SEWAGE In the first major storm of the year, over 9 inches of rain fell on cities around O`ahu overnight -- up to 3 inches an hour for some areas on the Windward side. Waimanalo saw severe damage to homes and property, as area streams overflowed and muddy red sludge poured into homes. Fire crews evacuated area residents by boat along Saddle City Road, and horses at the Waimanalo Polo Field were also led to dry land this morning. Water rushing down Mekia St. moved cars and crumpled fences. Access to the Hawaiian Floral Nursery was briefly cut off when debris -- from logs to appliances and car parts -- was deposited across its entrance. "You name it," said nursery staffer Oren Sugita, "[The rain] washed everything into our greenhouses and made a terrible mess." Several businesses in the Waimanalo Town Center were closed today; the Woolworth store filled with up to 6" of water, causing an estimated $20,000 in damage. Some say today's storm was worse than the famous New Year's Day flood of 1988. The severe weather caused 200,000 gallons of raw sewage to flood into Kaneohe Stream at about 3AM, and 11,000 gallons gushed out of a manhole on Keolu Drive in Enchanted Lake this morning. The Pali Highway was also closed for several hours. Other numbers: Kailua 9.2", Kaneohe 6.15", Wainiha (Kaua`i) 3.6", Pahoa (Big Island) 4.68" POLICE MISCONDUCT REPORTED, POLICY RECONSIDERED In the first report required under a 1995 ruling, the police departments of all Hawaii counties tallied 75 total incidents of misconduct over the last year. Among them: beating a handcuffed prisoner, trying to steal a beer from a convenience store, terroristic threatening, and having sex with an underage girl. Last session the legislature passed a bill allowing police departments to keep the names of officers being disciplined a secret, provided they submit annual accounts of all incidents that resulted in suspension or firing. After the report was presented today, Senate Judiciary Chairman Rey Graulty said, "I think it's very disturbing that these are the kids of incidents that we are finding." Graulty hinted that if things didn't improve soon, the legislature might consider reworking the policy. Representative Terrance Tom said today, however, that the withholding of officers' names is a good practice. "I don't think the public's interested in knowing who it is," he said, "I think they're interested in knowing what kind of incidents are occurring, what is being done." Honolulu police chief Michael Nakamura said that although he takes all misconduct seriously, the figures aren't so bad considering that HPD officers initiate an estimated 750,000 contacts with the public each year. Only two officers were fired, both from HPD. Hawaii County reported 6 incidents, Kaua`i reported 7, and Maui reported suspending 28 officers. COUNCIL QUESTIONS TRUE COST OF RAIL SETTLEMENT Last year, a $9 million settlement had to be paid to the Oahu Transit Group after the city's planned rail-transit system was killed. Mayor Jeremy Harris asserted at the time that no city money was used, but members of the City Council said today his assertion was misleading. Harris had said in a press-release that arrangements had been made with the Federal Transit Authority to use the remaining balance of the project's budget to pay OTG. Indeed, the remaining $9.7 million in funding was enough to cover the lawsuit. Councilmembers pointed out, however, that a third of that money -- $3 million -- was put there by the city. "What he failed to say," Councilwoman Donna Kim said today, "was overall we had to pay 21.4% of that bill with city money." Although the council wanted to talk to Harris himself, the mayor sent budget director Malcolm Tom to take the grilling. Tom said that the city was expecting to be reimbursed $2 million, when the payment was expected to be $7 million instead of the final $9 million settlement. "This press release is very misleading," Councilman Jon Yoshinaga said. "It's not the first time, but I hope it will be the last time." CAT FANATIC TAKES STAND Frances Hloboky took the stand today in Circuit Court, answering to charges that she mistreated over 200 cats in her Nuuanu home. In September of last year, Hawaiian Humane Society staffers recovered Hloboky's extensive family of felines from her Judd St. residence. Many were found two or three to a crate, stacked inside her house. Prosecutors say that many of the cats were starving, sick or dying. Hloboky asserts she cared adequately for the animals, recalling special times with her favorite -- Raven, a blind cat. "Raven would sit on top of that Meow Mix bag and she would sleep on it," Hloboky said. "If she was hungry she could just eat it if she wanted to; she would come to me if she was hungry or she wanted some love." If convicted of the misdemeanor cruelty to animals charge, Hloboky faces up to one year in prison. WELLS PLEADS GUILTY FOR SECURITIES FRAUD Pen in hand, Joyce Wells signed away 20 counts of securities fraud and pled guilty to one. Wells, who has already served 4 years in prison and faces up to six more, is charged with bilking hundreds of Hawaii investors of $9 million in the mid-80s. She had promised investors a 25% profit in 6 months, but instead put the money towards personal accounts and other businesses her company -- Atlantic and Pacific Trading Co. -- owned. On Dec. 19 of last year, Wells' husband Richard also pleaded guilty to a single count for the fraudulent sale of securities. Three other associates of the Wells still await retrial after their earlier convictions were overturned by the Hawaii Supreme Court. Wells, who will be sentenced in March, faces 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. CITY MOVES FORWARD ON LEASE-TO-FEE FIGHT Seven members of the Honolulu City Council introduced a resolution today to enforce its controversial lease-to-fee ordinance. With the ordinance behind them, residents of the Kuapa Aisle Condominium development in Hawaii Kai want to purchase the land under their homes. Bishop Estate, however, doesn't want to sell, having called the lease-to-fee rule unconstitutional. Today's resolution, if passed, will force both sides into a 60-day negotiating period. If nothing can be resolved, the court will set the price on the property. The case is the first one to arise since the ordinance was put into effect. CITY PAID TOO MUCH TO DUMP A computation error by the city is being blamed for an overpayment of $1.6 million to the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill. Ken Sprague, director of the City Department of Waste Management, said today that they paid twice the amount they should have for deposits at the gulch. "There was an error, which we're responsible for," Sprague said, "and we have adjusted the contract to account for that and recover the money for the city." To date, $229,000 has been recovered, and by June of 1998 the remaining money will be recovered in the form of credit. TWO cars served today as coffins for 259 guns collected last year by HPD in its Goods for Guns program. The weapons were taken to Hawaii Metal Recycling and loaded into the vehicles, which were then put through an enormous metal shredder. Police kept 13 of the collected guns, which were needed as evidence other cases, including one that was reported missing in 1952... COLLIDING with a boat may have been what injured a whale spotted earlier this week off Lahaina, Maui. The female adult whale had a large gash on its body. Researchers with the Pacific Whale Foundation said that the whale would most likely recover... DEDICATED this morning, a new Pearl Harbor memorial sculpture. The glass, marble and water piece was built with $800,000 in private funds, and was given to the Navy by the Friends of Pearl Harbor... APOLOGIES, Ka `Upena was not published yesterday because of a ballet injury -- my fiancee's, not mine. Well-wishers can write the currently futon-ridden beauty at eno@hawaii.edu... TEMPS: O`ahu 79/72, Kaua`i 78/68, Moloka`i 79/68, Maui 83/69, Hilo 78/68 CASTS: Heavy showers continue; north & west shore surf to 10 feet. THURSDAY'S TIDES: High 8:19AM; Low 3:16PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Tuesday, January 23, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= GROUPS CONVERGE TO DEBATE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE The state legislature took up the same-sex marriage issue today, and over 250 people submitted their testimony. Today's hearing is the first of many scheduled over the next several months, after a state commission recommended last year that the state pass a bill to recognize same-sex marriages. "Our constitution is meant to protect the rights and liberty of all of our people," said ACLU spokeswoman Vanessa Chong, "Regardless of whether their beliefs and practices are popular or unpopular, approved or disapproved by a majority." Bill opponents were just as outspoken, however. "We are opposed to both same- sex marriage and domestic partnerships for basically the same reason," said Leon Siu of Christian Voice of Hawaii. "They both adversely affect the family and the order of society." The House Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing bills that span the full range of the issue, from legalizing same- sex marriages or domestic-partnerships to amending the state constitution to ban the marriage of same-sex couples. Committee Chair Terrance Tom said he didn't expect any pivotal bills to pass this year. "When you have bills of this nature," Tom said, "It certainly takes a lot of discussion, a lot of education, a lot of thinking it out." SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY HOIST, HURT ECONOMY State lawmakers have until April to decide on the same-sex marriage issue, at which point a pivotal lawsuit will come before the Supreme Court and possibly settle things for them. Meanwhile, two recent studies say the legalization of same-sex marriages will be a boon to Hawai`i. A report by the University of Southern California Law Review said that $4 billion in additional tourism revenue will come to Hawaii in the first five years following same-sex marriage legalization. A UH study came up with more conservative numbers, saying that legalization would bring $1 billion more in tourism revenue during the same period, or an additional $127 million annually. The UH study, conducted by researcher Summer LaCroix, assumes that 3% of the U.S. population is gay, and that 15% of those people would want to marry. It may have also underestimated the added revenue, as it assumes gay visitors will bring no guests to the islands. "It could definitely be higher," LaCroix said. Not counting such guests, LaCroix estimates 172,500 same-sex marriage-seeking tourists a year, with gay visitors accounting for 8% -- rather than the current estimated 5% -- of all tourists. Still, Rep. Terrance Tom is wary. "There's no telling how many people will not come here as a result of this kind of bill," he said. GROUPS CALL FOR DHHL RESIGNATIONS Native Hawaiian leaders gathered today on the grounds of Iolani Palace to remember the life of Hilbert Kahale Smith, who died last Thursday after setting fire to his Anahole Homstead house during his eviction. They were critical of the state Department of Hawaiian Homelands, some calling the agency responsible for Smith's death. "The department chose to follow an iron- fist policy of dispossessing Mr. Smith rather than fulfilling their legal obligations to him as a beneficiary," said Ka Lahui Hawai`i leader Haunani-Kay Trask. Smith was being evicted after a 17-year fight with the state; he stopped paying his mortgage in protest of shoddy construction work on his home. Trask called for the resignation of DHHL head Kali Wilson and the department's commissioners. Wilson said he hoped the department could learn from what happened on Kaua`i. "Hopefully something positive will come out of this," he said. However Smith said he had no plans of stepping down, saying that recent legal settlements and land appropriations demonstrated the need for stability. "My intent is to continue what we've been doing in furthering the program," he said. Smith will be remembered with a memorial service and candlelight vigil at 6:30PM this Saturday at Iolani Palace. PEOPLE PROTEST PROPOSED POWER PROJECT Palolo and Manoa valley residents turned out in force yesterday to oppose a plan to install 100-foot-high utility poles along Waahila Ridge, which separates the two residential valleys. HECO wants to run 138,000-volt cables from its Kapiolani Blvd. substation to a substation in upper Palolo. Citizen and environmental groups are primarily upset at the damage such lines would do to the area's beauty. Members of the Manoa Neighborhood Board urged HECO to put the lines underground. Company officials said above-ground installation would cost $13 million, while putting the lines underground could cost as much as $50 million. 150 people showed up for the public hearing yesterday. HECO had extended the deadline for public comment to Feb. 21 while it reviews its Environmental Impact Statement. LOCAL AIR FORCE LEADER MOVES ON Brigadier General Dwight Kealoha will be ending his 30-year Air Force career this week when he resigns as the commander of Hickam Air Force Base. "I've pretty much risen as far as I'm going to rise," he said today, "so it's time to move on." Before serving full-time in the islands, the Iolani and UH graduate had flown 300 combat missions in Vietnam. Upon moving back here two years ago, his wife adjusted more quickly to island life, Kealoha said. "I think the growth in Hawaii sort of surprised me," he said. Although he hasn't decided what his second career will be, Kealoha said, "Hawaii's the place for me." He will pass the torch to Colonel Bruce Brown -- vice commander of the airbase -- at Change of Command ceremonies there this Friday. RHYTHM-AND-BLUES STAR DIDN'T STAY Is this how we do it? Montell Jordan, pop-music extraordinaire, shorted Hooters Hula Bowl organizers one of two scheduled concerts at the nationally broadcast football game this past Sunday at Aloha Stadium. The singer performed at half-time before an estimated crowd of 21,100 fans, but when he asked to negotiate for more money to perform at the post-game show, local producers refused. Jordan and his crew left, but he wasn't missed by many -- Hula Bowl officials report that to date, only three people requested refunds for their special tickets to Jordan's canceled show. VIEWS of Honolulu Harbor tonight are dominated by the sight of two world cruise-liners that arrived this morning. The Queen Elizabeth 2 now sits at Pier 2, where it released 600 passengers and loaded another 600. The ship will leave for Yokoyama, Japan, at midnight tonight. The "Crystal Symphony" will also leave tonight, after stopping over on its way to the South Pacific via Lahaina, Maui. IT'S a rat, it's a hamster... it's another illegal animal. An 8-inch European hedgehog was discovered this morning in the parking lot of a Waikiki apartment. The spiny creature is being held by Agriculture officials at the quarantine facility in Kewalo Basin. The man who discovered the animal first thought it to be a common rodent, but its bristles convinced him otherwise... TEMPS: O`ahu 85/70, Kaua`i 80/73, Moloka`i 82/70, Maui 86/68, Hilo 80/68 CASTS: Muggy, some thundershowers, more record highs. Island surf to 3 ft. WEDNESDAY'S TIDES: High 6:53AM; Low 1:47PM
<> ----------[ K A ` U P E N A K U K U I ]---------- <> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Net of Light Monday, January 22, 1996 Hawai`i News -- Internet Edition Compiled by Ryan K. Ozawa ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Summarized from various island news sources, including independent interviews and research, radio and television broadcasts and local papers. No material is duplicated directly unless otherwise attributed. Intended for personal use only -- please obtain permission from author before redistributing. Aloha! ============================================================================= CAYETANO OPTIMISTIC, PUSHES MORE BUSINESS In his second State of the State address this morning before the state legislature, Cayetano reiterated the seriousness of Hawaii's fiscal problems. He said, however, that private industry is be the key to turn the lagging economy around. To bolster the construction industry, Cayetano proposed eliminating state lotteries for buyers of homes in projects subsidized by private developers, pushed for fewer rules and faster permit processing. "We will redefine our housing policy to get the state out of the business of competing with the private sector," he said. Additionally, the Governor proposed an excise tax exemption for businesses that sell their services in foreign countries. Cayetano also promised that construction of the Hawaii Convention Center will be completed on time, and that growth will continue at the Second City in Kapolei. Other recommendations in Cayetano's speech: Deregulating telecommunications, attracting high-tech development, national promotion of local products, and continue to improve the Honolulu wate