Newswatch

By Star-Bulletin Staff

Monday, April 29, 1996

Jasmine Jiminez and pals from Waialua Elementary make the
rounds for phone books. Photo by Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin

Kids reap recycling rewards

Waialua elementary students and faculty had to leave their neighborhood to collect old telephone books for recycling.

Yet the school managed to win the top prize in GTE Hawaiian Tel's recycling campaign.

The school collected more than 35,800 old phone books.

Sixth-grader Kelly Seleska says her neighbors were reluctant to give up their old phone books because they hadn't gotten new ones yet.

So the students and staff looked elsewhere.

Teacher Lori Lendio says it was a lesson in real life for the students, who had to work together. The school won $2,100.

Pearl Harbor to homeport two more nuclear subs

Two Los Angeles nuclear attack submarines will be added to Pearl Harbor's fleet of 22 by the end of the year, bringing $12.1 million to the state's economy.

Sen. Daniel Inouye today announced that the Navy will relocate the USS Tucson (SSN 770) and its crew of 156 officers and sailors from Norfolk, Va., to Pearl Harbor Sept. 30.

The USS Columbia (SSN 771) and its crew of 137 will arrive here Oct. 1 from Groton, Conn. Both subs are now assigned to the Atlantic fleet with primary missions of antisubmarine and antisurface warfare.

Price of gas may rise but isles still cheaper than California

Island motorists may find this hard to believe, but there is a place on the mainland where gasoline prices may be higher.

The price of self-serve premium gasoline in California has approached $2.25 a gallon. In Hawaii, the price for premium last week hovered around $1.75 to $1.77 a gallon. And no one will say if the price will continue to climb.

Industry experts say crude oil prices are at a 12-year high and low inventories are forcing companies to buy on the spot market at higher prices. Other factors include a high demand for heating oil in Eastern states and a big diesel demand for agricultural purposes.

In Hawaii, the higher price of crude oil has caused prices at island pumps to climb slightly - by 5 to 8 cents a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline.

For expanded versions of these and other stories,
see today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

Police/Fire

By Star-Bulletin staff

Board found in search for missing diver

The Coast Guard today found a body board belonging to a missing diver as a search continued in waters off Malaekahana beach near Goat Island.

Shortly after 6 a.m., a Coast Guard helicopter retrieved the board belonging to Wayne Leong, 39. Leong was last seen when he went free diving alone at 1:30 p.m. yesterday.

A Fire Department diver found a line and a green bag attached to the board, but no sign of Leong. Friends on shore reported Leong overdue about 6 p.m. yesterday. Leong, who had a broken foot, was wearing a black wet suit.

Youth on freeway killed by vehicle

An 18-year-old Honolulu youth was killed crossing the H-1 freeway on foot near Pele Street at about 4:50 a.m. yesterday. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 5:20 a.m.

The victim was attempting to cross the east-bound freeway lanes when he was struck by a station wagon driven by a 49-year-old Ewa Beach man.

The station wagon then collided with another east-bound vehicle, a sedan driven by a 20-year-old Honolulu man. Neither driver was injured.

The death was the 22nd traffic fatality of the year on Oahu, compared with 28 at the same time last year.

Other Police/Fire headlines:

- Military copter rescues five hikers in Hauula
- Sandy Beach surfing victim was Waimanalo firefighter
- Officials say Maui fire looks suspicious

(See expanded versions in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin)