Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Pflueger plea set March 12
HANALEI, Kaua'i — Retired auto dealer Jimmy Pflueger, his companies and associates were arraigned yesterday in Hanalei District Court on criminal charges of grading without a permit.
Pflueger was represented in court by attorney Philip Lowenthal. He is scheduled to enter pleas March 12.
Pflueger and associates were named in 15 separate complaints related to two instances of earth-moving, one around Kaloko Reservoir in the late 1990s and one in 2001 on a bluff above the beach at Pila'a.
In the 2001 case, a mudslide from the graded area inundated coastal homes and dumped sediment on the nearshore reef.
Kaua'i County, the state Department of Health and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are overseeing work to restore the Pila'a graded area. Environmental groups and neighbors have filed civil suits against Pflueger in the case.
WINDWARD O'AHU
Kalaheo sewer project delayed
The start of the Kalaheo Avenue sewer reconstruction project has been pushed back from February to mid-March or early April, according to Perry Manthos with Carter Burgess of Honolulu, which is managing the project.
Contractor Westcon Microtunneling Inc. has submitted a construction schedule but has not announced the date of the start, Manthos said.
It is still mobilizing equipment and material. Aside from some preliminary work, heavy equipment and traffic controls may not be in place until April, Manthos said.
A public meeting will be scheduled 30 days into the project to discuss the effectiveness of traffic controls.
For more information, check the project's Web site at www.kalaheosewer.com.
Public invited to Kailua Bay walk
The Kailua Bay Advisory Council will sponsor a free stream walk and lecture from Windward Community College Hale Imiloa, 9 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 22, to raise awareness of the waterway.
David Krupp, WCC professor, will lead the group and discuss factors that contribute to water quality.
To make reservations, call Liz Harrington at 291-1116 or e-mail the council at kbac.ed@verizon.net.
HONOLULU
500 pets to be sterilized free
The Hawaiian Humane Society will sponsor 500 free sterilizations for cats and dogs to the first 500 pet owners who call between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Feb. 27 to schedule an appointment.
Organizers of Spay Day 2003 aim "to increase awareness of the benefits of spaying and neutering for pets, and to help reduce overpopulation," said society spokeswoman Eve Holt.
Sterilization appointment calls will be taken only on Feb. 27 at 216-PETS, 216-SPAY, 216-FREE, 216-DOGS, 216-IFIX and 368-4415; or leave a message at 368-4417, 368-4418, 368-4419 or 368-4420.
UH marchers rally against war threat
About 40 students at the University of Hawai'i's Manoa campus marched against war in Iraq yesterday. Marchers said they also oppose military recruitment on campus and tracking of foreign students.
University spokesman Paul Costello said regents have taken a stand against war, and said seminars are planned on campus. But he said the university will continue to file reports with the Immigration and Naturalization Service on foreign students. Otherwise, those students could no longer attend the university and the university might lose federal money, he said.
Carolyn Hadfield of Not In Our Name asked residents to join a march at noon Saturday from Aloha Stadium to Pearl Harbor to draw attention to U. S. weapons of mass destruction.
STATEWIDE
Lingle agrees to pay campaign fine
Gov. Linda Lingle has agreed to pay the state Campaign Spending Commission a $200 fine to settle a complaint by the Hawai'i Democratic Party.
The complaint stems from Lingle's use of Maui County letterhead and resources to distribute a news release that criticized former Gov. Ben Cayetano in 1998. Lingle was Maui's mayor and running against Cayetano for governor.
Commission director Robert Watada said he will recommend the panel approve the settlement, which admits no wrongdoing. The Democrats can argue against the agreement or appeal if it is approved.
"We consider that if there was a violation, it was one person's momentary error in judgement," Watada said.
House nixes Lingle tax-credit proposal
The House Health and Human Services committees yesterday rejected Gov. Linda Lingle's proposal for tax credits to encourage people to buy long-term care insurance, saying it won't be very effective.
Health Committee Chairman Dennis Arakaki, D-30th (Moanalua, Kalihi Valley, Alewa), said he instead preferred House Bill 90, which provides a tax credit of 50 percent of the insurance premium or $2,500, whichever is less. The House Health and Human Services committees passed that measure Tuesday.
Arakaki said he doubted Lingle's bill, which would have offered a tax credit of up to 30 percent of long-term care insurance premiums, would encourage many people to purchase the insurance. The credit would have been phased in over three years, beginning with 10 percent in 2004, 20 percent in 2005 and 30 percent in 2006.
Arakaki emphasized that 50 percent tax credit proposal is meant to supplement, not replace, another bill that calls for a $10 monthly tax to finance a state-run long-term care program for all residents.
