Neighbor Island briefs
Advertiser Staff
Two plead guilty in attack on gays
LIHUE, Kaua‘i — Two Kaua‘i men accused of attacking campers, targeting them for being gay, pleaded guilty yesterday to several charges.
By pleading guilty to assault, terroristic threatening and other charges, Orion Macomber, 19, and Eamonn Carolan, 18, avoided trial on the charge of first-degree attempted murder. It carries a mandatory life sentence without parole.
They were accused of going on a rampage at Polihale State Park that included setting a tent on fire while campers were inside. No one was seriously injured in the May 26 attack.
Police said the two were found in a pickup truck with two cans of kerosene. The campers had provided the license plate number of the truck they said had tried to run them down at the park.
Macomber and Carolan had been scheduled for trial Dec. 3. They will be sentenced in January.
Maui Circuit Court judge to retire
WAILUKU, Maui — Maui Circuit Court Judge Artemio Baxa has announced he will retire Dec. 28.
Baxa, 63, has served on the bench since May 1998, when Gov. Ben Cayetano appointed him to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge E. John McConnell.
Baxa served as a deputy corporation counsel and deputy prosecuting attorney with Maui County and was in private practice for five years before being appointed judge.
The Judicial Selection Commission will submit a list of nominees to the governor to fill the vacancy.
Farmer wounded in Big Island shooting
WOOD VALLEY, Hawai'i — A Pahala farmer suffered critical injuries when he was shot in the left leg Wednesday night near his farm in Wood Valley on the southern end of the Big Island.
Police said Ruby Javar, 61, was shot at about 7 p.m.
Lt. Henry Hickman said the victim, a vegetable farmer, "had been having problems with unknown persons damaging property and stealing vegetables" from his farm.
A 65-year-old friend who was with Javar was not hurt in the shooting.
Javar was taken by his friend to Ka'u Hospital. He was later transferred to Hilo Medical Center, then The Queen's Medical Center on O'ahu for surgery.
Hickman said detectives opened an assault and reckless endangering investigation.
Coast preservation efforts on agenda
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Jay Griffin, who heads the Sierra Club's "Malama Kahakai, Keep Our Coastlines Wild" program, will talk about the project at a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Koloa Library.
The program seeks to preserve undeveloped scenic coastlines in the Islands. One such place on Kaua'i is Maha'ulepu. Beryl Blaich will discuss the efforts of the group Malama Maha'ulepu to preserve that coastline.
Author to give Maui reading
KAHULUI, Maui — Native American author Linda Uguku Boyden will be the featured storyteller at the Kahului and Makawao public libraries next week.
Boyden will perform "Stories Around the Campfire" at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Kahului and at 3 p.m. Nov. 15 in Makawao. The programs are free.
Nine grants total $85,000
HILO, Hawai'i — The Richard Smart Foundation has awarded nine West Hawai'i organizations $85,000 in grants.
The largest grant was $12,000 to the Waimea Corps of the Salvation Army. Receiving grants of $10,000 each were Kanu o ka 'Aina, a new Hawaiian Charter School operated by Kalo Inc.; the Anna Perry-Fiske Foundation; Five Mountains Hawai'i; Hawai'i Arts Ensemble; Waimea Outdoor Circle; and Waimea Preservation Association
The Waimea School Parent Teacher Student Organization received $8,000; Family Support Services of West Hawai'i got $5,000.
