O'ahu briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
HONOLULU
Parachute collapse injures two
Two tourists were injured this weekend when the parachute holding them 150 feet above Maunalua Bay collapsed, dropping the pair into the ocean.
A 28-year-old man remained in critical condition at The Queen's Medical Center. The 27-year-old woman who fell with him was in guarded condition.
Capt. Richard Soo, HFD spokesman, said the parasailors were being towed by Sea Breeze Parasailing off Koko Marina shortly after 10 a.m. Saturday.
At 10:20 a.m., the gusting wind that had taken the pair 150 feet into the air suddenly stopped, causing the parachute to collapse and the couple to fall.
The boat that had been towing the pair picked them up and brought them to shore, where firefighters and paramedics met them and took them to Queen's.
Four hurt by falling scaffolding
Three men and a 4-year-old boy were injured when a scaffold holding a sign outside an NFL Experience bazaar at Fort DeRussy collapsed yesterday afternoon.
Honolulu Fire Capt. Richard Soo said a gust of wind apparently toppled the temporary scaffolding at about 3 p.m. The men were treated at the scene for back and neck injuries suffered when the structure hit them as it collapsed, and the boy was revived after being knocked unconscious.
All four individuals were transported by ambulance to The Queen's Medical Center for examination, Soo said.
He said promoters were re-checking guy wires attached to other scaffolding following the accident at the military park area near Kalia Road and Saratoga Avenue in Waikiki.
'Black beard' suspect guilty
A 36-year-old man has admitted that he is the "black beard" bandit who staged a number of bank robberies on O'ahu last year.
Glen Yonamine pleaded guilty to four robberies during an appearance in federal court Friday. He faces up to 6 1/2 years in prison when he is sentenced in June.
Yonamine was arrested in September following a holdup at Central Pacific Bank in Waipahu.
Nine holdups were attributed to the "black beard" bandit, so named because of the fake black beard he wore during the robberies.
Session deals with diabetes
A national conference in Honolulu on Feb. 23 aims to help people with diabetes cope with their disease.
The conference, Taking Control of Your Diabetes, is directed by its founder, Dr. Steven Edelman, from the University of California, San Diego. Co-directors are from the University of Hawai'i and St. Francis Medical Center.
Session topics range from the day-to-day management of diabetes and preserving good heart and kidney function to the use of vitamins and herbs and the latest information on insurance and legal issues. There will be opportunities to speak one-on-one with a diabetes physician or nurse educator and for foot examinations.
The conference will be at the Hawai'i Convention Center. Early registration is $20. The on-site fee is $30. The fee includes breakfast and a speaker lunch. For more information, call (800) 998-2693 or visit www.tcoyd.org.
Forensic class for teachers
The Honolulu Police Department is accepting applications for a week-long forensic science course in June for middle and high school teachers.
"Forensics for Teachers" will be offered for the first time from June 24 through June 28. In the course, teachers will work with HPD's forensic scientists specializing in the areas of evidence collection, drug analysis, firearms and DNA/serology.
Teachers will also hear from Dr. Lee Goff, professor of forensic sciences at Chaminade University and a world-renowned forensic entomologist, as well as representatives from the Honolulu medical examiner's office, the Honolulu prosecuting attorney's office, and the Army's Central Identification Lab.
Twelve teachers will be accepted for the program. Applications are due by March 1 and are available by calling HPD's Scientific Investigation Section at 529-3281, or by visiting the department's Web site.
CENTRAL
Colombians to discuss plight
Waiau Elementary School in Pearl City will hold an assembly Friday to listen to two Colombian teenagers speak about the brutalities of their country's war with drug traffickers and their quest to bring peace to the troubled nation.
Speakers Farlis Calle and Juan Uribe represent the Colombian Children's Movement of Peace, which has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The assembly will be held in the school cafeteria from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
The event is part of the school's philosophy to help students resolve conflicts through peaceful solutions.
