Hawai'i briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

CENTRAL O'AHU

Internal Affairs probes HPD death

Police are conducting a standard administrative investigation into a March 4 shooting incident in which officer Glen Gaspar was killed while trying to arrest fugitive Shane W. Mark.

Internal Affairs Maj. Donna Anderson said yesterday the investigation will center on whether departmental procedures and guidelines were followed.

Gaspar reportedly was not wearing a bullet-proof vest and that is expected to be one focus area for investigators.

'Aiea fire was arson, officials say

Firefighters responded to an anonymous tip yesterday and extinguished a front-door fire at Kana's Ice Creamery in 'Aiea.

Investigators said the 1:51 a.m. fire was set intentionally. Damage is estimated at $1,000.

LEEWARD O'AHU

Building fire spreads uphill

A fire at an abandoned home in Nanakuli ignited nearby brush and kept firefighters busy for more than two hours yesterday.

The fire was reported at about 5:30 p.m. at a single-story home on Farrington Highway a quarter-mile west of Hakimo Road. Honolulu Fire Department Capt. Kenison Tejada said the fire spread from the house to some brush and then worked its way up a hillside.

Tejada said 13 fire companies and the Air One helicopter fought the 5-acre blaze, which was contained at about 7 p.m. The cause and the damage cost were not determined because the the home was abandoned, he said.

Police closed two lanes of Farrington Highway for about two hours while the Fire Department fought the blaze.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Monk seal spotted at Ma'alaea

A Pacific Whale Foundation research team saw an adult monk seal swimming, playing and even eating in Ma'alaea Harbor yesterday. Researchers watched the seal catch and eat a pufferfish. Pacific Whale Foundation

The captain and crew of the Pacific Whale Foundation catamaran Ocean Odyssey noticed the seal as they were returning to the harbor from a snorkel cruise at about 11:30 a.m., and the animal spent the early afternoon in the harbor, gliding in and around the boat slips and in the channel of the harbor.

Pacific Whale Foundation researchers were able to observe and photograph the seal as it caught a large pufferfish, flipped it into the air and took a bite from it.

Hawaiian monk seals, an endangered species, have a population estimated at 1,450. While the majority of the seals are found in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, there are believed to be at least 52 seals that regularly inhabit the main Hawaiian Islands.

Whale center plan to be presented

KIHEI, Maui — An open house will be held tonight to describe expansion plans for the Kihei headquarters of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

The plans call for demolition and removal of two storage buildings, construction of a multipurpose building and parking lot, and landscaping to include an outdoor courtyard.

The plan is designed to improve the sanctuary's ability to conduct education and research programs, officials said.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at the sanctuary's headquarters, 726 S. Kihei Road. Site drawings and a model of the proposed building will be on display. On hand will be sanctuary staff members, the project architect and consultants who prepared a draft environmental assessment.

HONOLULU

Blaisdell, Shell fees increased

Changes to rental fees at the Neal Blaisdell Center and the Waikiki Shell will translate into higher rent, but with a sliding scale that should entice more Mainland attractions, promoters say.

The City Council yesterday unanimously adopted a bill that will increase rent for all users, but limits the increase to 5 percent for the Honolulu Symphony, nonprofit organizations and high schools that use the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

The symphony and high schools had objected to an earlier version of the bill, which would have resulted in a much more dramatic increase. At a public hearing last month, members of the symphony and musician's union testified in support of the 5 percent increase.

No one testified on the bill when it appeared before the council for final approval. However, concert promoters testified earlier that the new sliding scale would result in reduced rent for the highest-grossing performances at the Blaisdell Arena, making it more attractive for performers to come to Hawai'i.

Groups rejected in Wal-Mart suit

A state judge has ruled that Citizen's Against Reckless Development and the United Food and Workers Union Local 480 do not have legal standing to ask the court to halt construction of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores near Ala Moana Center.

But since two members of those groups live near the construction site, which fronts Ke'eaumoku Street, they can go to trial as individuals on the question of whether noise and dust from the project pose a nuisance, Circuit Judge Gary Chang ruled on Tuesday. A trial is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 9.

Chang last month dismissed most of the lawsuit filed by the citizens' group, which claimed the city should have required developers to do an environmental assessment study or impact statement before allowing work on the project to begin.

Chang said the group should have exhausted the city's administrative appeals process before taking the matter to court. Group members said they have filed the administrative appeals and intend to take the matter back to court if their appeals are denied.

Internet scam warning issued

The public is being warned about any Internet solicitation that asks for personal checking and savings account information as part of a job offer.

State Attorney General Mark Bennett said Web sites that post job offers may be the latest twist to an old scam. He said the offers direct people to the Web sites of foreign corporations that are looking for people with accounting experience in the United States.

Bennett said the corporations ask the applicants to provide information on their bank accounts so the firms will be able to transfer money in. The companies say the prospective employee will be allowed to keep 20 percent of all funds transferred to the job seeker's account.

Bennett said the danger is that unauthorized withdrawals can be made from the account.

Human Services chief confirmed

The state Senate yesterday unanimously confirmed Gov. Linda Lingle's appointment of Department of Human Services director Lillian Koller.

Koller, a 48-year-old attorney, was a Maui deputy corporation counsel when Lingle was mayor of the county. She also developed and managed the Maui Drug Court program, which offers treatment as an alternative to incarceration for nonviolent drug offenders.

Senate Human Services Committee Chairwoman Suzanne Chun Oakland, D-13th (Kalihi, Nu'uanu), described Koller as a strong leader with proven administrative skills and a commitment to Hawai'i's families. Other senators said they were impressed with Koller's ability to resolve problems and with her sense of compassion.