Will gets a dreamy look on his face whenever he talks about having his own car repair shop. He loves fixing cars and spends most of the day doing it, happily covered in grease. Toolbox would make
By Pat Gee, Star-Bulletin
difference to auto mechanicBut he doesn't get paid much for it because he hasn't been able to do it as a steady job since he was released from the state mental hospital two years ago.
With a criminal record and developmental disability, no one wants to hire him. Even though Will has made great strides in becoming a productive, law-abiding citizen, and is constantly answering want ads and filling out job applications, it still hasn't resulted in a regular paycheck.
What really makes Will's eyes light up is a five-drawer toolbox he saw at Sears. That and mechanics tools would help boost Will's self-esteem, enable him to do better work, and continue to help him get back on his feet.
If you can help, send a check to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin's Good Neighbor Fund, P.O. Box 2019, Aiea 96701. Or you can donate items to the Community Clearing House in Building 914 at the Kapalama Military Reservation on the left of Sand Island Access Road, about a half mile beyond Kilgo's. Call 845-1669.
Federal funds help pay rent for elderly, disabled
Hawaii will receive a total of $5.8 million in federal grants and rent subsidies to provide housing for elderly and disabled renters with low incomes, a federal housing official said today.Honolulu will get $5.12 million in rent subsidies for 300 families so that they spend no more than 30 percent of their incomes for rent, said Gordan Furutani, Hawaii manager for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
"This is really good news. It's been a long time since Hawaii has received any vouchers ... maybe five years," Furutani said.
He said the demand for rent assistance "is always greater than we can provide. There is a long waiting list. I think the wait is about five years . . . .
The city's award is part of a $126.8 million allocation that will go to 42 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.
The federal housing agency also will award $686,700 to Hale Mahaolu, a nonprofit Maui organization, for rent subsidies and construction of subsidized housing for seniors and the disabled with very low incomes, Furutani said.
Hale Mahaolu already received funding for 15 housing units, and the latest award will allow five more, Furutani said.
Nationally, the federal agency earmarked $696 million to nonprofit groups to create more than 8,200 subsidized apartments.
New trial for soldier whose son was burned
A Schofield Barracks soldier found guilty last year of first-degree assault in the bathtub scalding of his 3-year-old son will get a new trial.The Intermediate Court of Appeals this week overturned the conviction of Ronald Betts and ordered a new trial because the testimony of a Tripler Hospital nurse was "inadmissible hearsay."
The nurse testified about the boy's reaction to her questions about Betts, which violated Betts' constitutional right of confrontation, according to the order signed by Chief Judge James Burns and Associate Judge Walter Kirimitsu.
In a dissenting opinion, Associate Judge Corinne Watanabe said the nurse's "brief testimony ... was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt."
Betts was charged with attempted second-degree murder as a result of burns suffered by his son, Travelle, on Sept. 22, 1996, at their Mililani apartment.
The prosecution argued at trial that Betts intentionally scalded the boy in an attempt to kill him. Medical experts testified that the boy's burns were "consistent with forced immersion in hot liquid."
The defense, however, argued that the second-degree burns could have occurred in just seconds as the boy stood, fell and tried to get out of the tub in a cramped space while his father was in another room.
Betts called for an ambulance after his son was burned.
A Circuit Court judge sentenced Betts to a 10-year prison term after a jury found him guilty of the lesser charge.
Service on Thursday in honor of Kwame Ture
A Honolulu memorial service will be held Thursday for Kwame Ture, who as Stokely Carmichael was a 1960s leader of the Black Panther Party.Ture died Nov. 15 in Guinea where he had lived since 1969. There, he took an African name and organized the All-African People's Revolutionary Party.
Ken Carr, a Southern California representative of the party, will speak at the 7:30 p.m. service at the University of Hawaii Center for Hawaiian Studies.
Police to auction bikes, mopeds next Saturday
The Honolulu Police Department will auction 110 bicycles and mopeds at 9 a.m. next Saturday in the parking lot behind the department's headquarters.Purchases must be paid with cash and in full at the time of sale and picked up immediately. People who think they may own any of the items may examine them between 8 and 9 a.m., and must provide proof of ownership.
A story Thursday about medical waste said it is being placed in the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill as a temporary solution to a disposal problem. That landfill is in Makakilo. CLARIFICATION
Coconuts Nightclub is open 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. Wrong information ran in Thursday's Do It! section. CORRECTION
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffMan stabbed in dispute in critical condition
A 19-year-old Wahiawa man was critically injured after being stabbed repeatedly last night.Two men, both 19, have been arrested in connection with the stabbing, police said.
The injured man was drinking at the Koele Way home in Wahiawa of one of the suspects when an argument broke out at about 9:18 p.m., police said. The man was stabbed several times in the neck, chest, arms, legs and stomach. He then ran to a neighbor's house, where he collapsed on the lawn.
The suspect who lives at the Koele Way home was arrested at the scene. The other suspect was arrested at Olive Avenue and Ohai Street while attempting to take a taxi to Ewa Beach, police said.
Both suspects were booked for attempted murder.
The victim was airlifted to Queen's Hospital, where he was listed in critical condition.
Woman driving alone killed in Big Isle crash
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii -- A woman was killed shortly after 2 a.m. today in a one-car accident on Waikoloa Road in west Hawaii, police said.The woman was the lone occupant of the car, they said.
Police remained at the scene this morning, and details, including the woman's name, were not immediately available.
Motor scooter rider dies in Kahului accident
WAILUKU -- A 44-year-old Lahaina man died this morning after the motor scooter he was riding was struck by a station wagon in Kahului.Police Lt. Charles Hirata said the fatality was the 12th in Maui County this year, the same number as this time last year.
Hirata said investigators were still reviewing details of the crash but alcohol and speed on the part of the station wagon's driver may have been possible factors.
The motor scooter was traveling on Dairy Road toward Maalaea when it was struck by the station wagon traveling toward Kihei on Puunene Avenue at about 12:38 this morning, Hirata said.
Sailor knocked out cold during fight in Waikiki
A 21-year-old sailor from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln was knocked unconscious early this morning by a 30-year-old Honolulu man who allegedly struck him on the head with a bottle.The sailor was walking on Lewers Street in Waikiki when he bumped into the suspect at 12:59 a.m., police said. The two men were arguing when the suspect allegedly knocked the sailor unconscious with a vodka bottle.
The suspect was arrested and booked for second-degree assault.
The sailor was transported to Tripler Hospital with a cut to his head and a possible concussion.
Police said both parties were intoxicated.
Girl allegedly assaulted by father of her friend
Police are searching for a man who reportedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl.The girl reported that she spent the night at her friend's home in Kalihi yesterday when she was allegedly sexually assaulted by her friend's father, police said.
Authorities were notified after the girl reported the incident to her mother.
Man with blond hair robs Aina Haina bank
A bank robber yesterday got away with an undisclosed amount of money yesterday from American Savings Bank's Aina Haina branch, police said.The man entered the bank at 5268 Kalanianaole Highway at about 5:58 p.m. and passed a note to a teller, who gave him the money, according to police. The suspect placed the money in a plastic bag and fled.
The suspect, who remains at large, is described as 20 to 30 years old, 5 feet 7 inches tall, with a slim build, fair complexion with dirty-blond hair and a goatee. Police said no weapon seen.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Search] [Info] section for subscription information.
