Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
Soldier's death is Hawai'i's loss
Bruce Asato ð The Honolulu Advertiser
An Army reservist from Waipahu who was killed Monday in Kuwait was praised yesterday by Hawai'i Rep. Neil Abercrombie for his courage and devotion to his country.
Nurse practitioner Sandra Chandler works at one of the stations of The Queen's Medical Center's central monitoring system, which tracks and displays patient status in the new Cardiac Comprehensive Care Rooms in the Queen Emma Tower. The new unit has 40 rooms, each capable of providing proper care for cardiac patients at all levels, from intensive care to ambulatory.
Staff Sgt. Cameron B. Sarno, 43, was killed when he was hit by a truck while changing his vehicle's tire in Kuwait City. Sarno was assigned to the 257th Transportation Co., U.S. Army Reserve in Las Vegas.
Sarno was a member of the Hawai'i Martial Arts International Society.
Abercrombie yesterday issued his condolences to the Sarno family. "He was an exceptional son of Hawai'i, and his loss is felt throughout our community."
Brush fires hit Ma'ili, Kalihi
Brush fires in Ma'ili and Kalihi kept firefighters busy yesterday afternoon, but there were no reports of property damage.
Nine fire companies responded to a brush fire near Pa'akea Road in Ma'ili at about 2 p.m. The fire was extinguished about five hours later after burning about 10 acres, said fire Capt. Kenison Tejada.
Tejada said the fire was on agricultural land and came close to some sheds, but did no damage.
At about 5:20 p.m., a fire burned about 4 acres of brush above the Kalihi Valley housing. Six fire companies and the Air One helicopter battled the blaze.
Rancher named to Big Isle council
HILO, Hawai'i — The Hawai'i County Council yesterday selected rancher and agricultural economist Michael Tulang to fill a vacancy on their nine-member body.
Tulang, who is executive director of the Hawai'i Association of Conservation Districts, replaces Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, who resigned in July to take a job as a deputy corporation counsel.
Korean festival at Ala Moana
The Korean community in Honolulu will observe the traditional harvest holiday tomorrow at the Dae Jan Chi Festival, set for noon to 6 p.m. at McCoy Pavilion, Ala Moana Park.
The holiday, comparable to Thanksgiving, is among the top annual celebrations in Korea. The Honolulu festival, which is free, will feature contests in mochi-making and folk songs, as well as door prizes, Korean food and entertainment.
Kum Mi Lee, a folk singer from Seoul, will top the entertainment roster, which also includes Chan Ung Park, Halla Huhm Dance Studio and the Senior Citizen College Dance Group.
The event is part of the Korean immigration centennial celebration. For more information, call 220-8163.
Fire house rites set for today
A groundbreaking and blessing ceremony for the new Honolulu Fire Department Headquarters and Fire Museum is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. today on the corner of Queen and South streets.
The adjacent Kaka'ako fire station will be renovated for a Fire Museum.
The new headquarters will replace the present facility in the airport industrial area. The new headquarters should be completed by the end of 2004.
The total project is valued at close to $15 million.
Kane'ohe pool closed for work
The Kane'ohe District Park swimming pool is closed for renovation and won't reopen until mid-December. The city project is part of a multi-pool renovation contract and includes tiling the pool and installing new filters and a pump, said Wilfred Ho, parks department Windward district manager. The other pools to be renovated are at Palolo and Booth district parks.
Library store open tomorrow
The Kailua library is still closed on weekends but residents can now purchase used books from the Friends of the Kailua Library from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays starting tomorrow in the library's book store. The Friends were able to get permission to run the bookstore on Saturdays, one of the most profitable days of the week, said Patrick Welch, of the Friends publicity committee.
The bookstore, which operates during the week as well, closed Saturdays when the state library system shut down most library operations on weekends because of budget cuts. The bookstore also sells comics, CDs, videos, DVDs, records and cassette tapes, with prices starting at 25 cents for paperbacks.
Ho'olaule'a at Windward CC
Windward Community College will host the Windward Ho'olaule'a from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow on its Kane'ohe campus. The free event will feature entertainment, Imaginarium shows, the Aerospace Exploration Lab, food, crafts and games. For more information, call Libby Young at 235-7396.
