Posted on: Monday, December 6, 2004
HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Copter rescues fallen hiker
Advertiser Staff
Firefighters yesterday afternoon rescued a man who fell nearly a hundred feet from the Maunawili Trail.
The man was one of a group of three men in their 20s who had hiked up the Ko'olau ridgeline from the Palolo side of the mountains and started down on the Maunawili side.
About 1 p.m., the man slipped and fell nearly 100 feet.
His two friends were unable to climb down to him and also unable to get down on the Maunawili side, said fire department spokesman Capt. Kenison Tejada.
They marked the man's spot on a map they carried, hiked back down on the Palolo side and called 911.
About 4 p.m. firefighters flew their helicopter to the spot the friends had marked, lowered a rescuer to the injured man and hauled him out.
Emergency Medical Services paramedics took the man by ambulance to The Queen's Medical Center to be checked out. EMS district chief Jason Kaneshiro said the man's condition was stable.
A man who allegedly drove a van over a police officer has been charged with criminal property damage and car theft, police said yesterday.
City prosecutors are expected to ask an O'ahu grand jury to indict Daniel Vesper III on a charge of first-degree attempted murder. In the meantime, Vesper, 43, was being held on $100,000 bail.
Officer Jeffrey Omai was hit by the van Thursday night at Honolulu Community College as officers investigated an armed robbery earlier in the day at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. Initially listed in critical condition, Omai, 35, has been upgraded to guarded condition.
An islandwide search for Vesper ended Friday night when he was captured in Kalihi.
Two people were injured in a series of crashes near Red Hill early yesterday believed to have been initiated by a man who may have been drinking, police said.
Police said the accident occurred at 5:42 a.m. on the Moanalua Freeway, a tenth of a mile west of the Red Hill off-ramp.
A silver 2001 Acura, driven by a 21-year-old man, rear-ended a 1977 white Ford van on the freeway, police said.
The driver of the Acura attempted to flee the scene, police said, but his car stalled a short distance away. Two other cars then crashed, one rear-ending the Acura and the other rear-ending the van.
The driver of the Acura and the 50-year-old driver of the van were taken to the emergency room of The Queen's Medical Center.
The driver of the Acura was at first listed in critical condition, but later upgraded to serious but stable condition.
The driver of the van was treated and released from the hospital.
The American Heart Association has given awards to five volunteers of The Queen's Medical Center. They are:
• Gold Heart Award to Pearl Whittaker, senior cardiovascular sonographer. • Operation Stroke Chairman Award to Dr. Cherylee Chang, for her commitment to improving the system of care for stroke survivors. • Speaker's Bureau Chairman Award to Beth Freitas, for her willingness to speak to community groups on heart attack and stroke warning signs and how to respond. • Outreach Award to Donna Ready, for her commitment to decreasing the risk of heart disease and stroke. • O'ahu Heart Walk Top Walker to Jackie Leonard, for raising more than $9,000 to support the fight against heart disease and stroke.
Don Goo, former chairman and current senior vice president of Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo, an international architecture firm based in Honolulu, has joined the faculty of the University of Hawai'i-Manoa School of Architecture as a professor and director of practicum.
A principal at WATG since 1968, Goo has been involved in extending the firm's reach and influence internationally.
Among his many projects in the Asia-Pacific region are the Hawai'i Convention Center and the Hilton Hawaiian Village hotel.
The Hawai'i Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association has named Sandie Wood the Outstanding Physical Therapist of 2004.
Jill Wakabayashi won the Outstanding Physical Therapist Assistant and Chapter Service Award and David Kaku won the Inspirational Award.
New HAPTA officers include president-elect Joanne Reid, treasurer Cesar Fajardo and national conference delegate Julie Tilson.
The most famous hiking trail along Kaua'i's famed Na Pali coast has gotten a cleanup after complaints of treacherous conditions, overgrowth and washed-out sections along the path above the ocean.
Five workers from Hunakai Plantation recently cleaned up a particularly difficult stretch of the Kalalau Trail, camping out overnight with four state workers.
"We were just trying to help out," said Benjy Garfinkle, owner of the land management company Hunakai Plantation, who donated his workers' time to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. "If I can help, I'm happy to donate the money, energy, and time. It's a national treasure."
The state "has been pretty receptive and responsive to me," he said. "We were pretty psyched to pull it off."
State officials are pleased about partnership with Garfinkle's company.
"We consider this an example of concerned citizens stepping up to manage Hawai'i's valuable resources," said Peter Young, chairman of the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.
Next year, Garfinkle hopes to get his carpenters to build a platform for a portable bathroom at remote Miloli'i Beach.
WAILUKU, Maui — The Blood Bank of Hawai'i will conduct a Maui blood drive on three dates this month at the Cameron Center in Wailuku.
Donors can give blood Dec. 22 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Dec. 23 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Dec. 24 from 7:30 a.m. to noon.
To make an appointment or for more information, call (800) 372-9966 or visit www.bbh.org.
Vesper charged with car theft
Freeway crashes injure 2 drivers
Five at Queens are honored
Veteran architect joins UH faculty
Physical therapist of the year named
Firm donates Na Pali trail work
Blood drive setfor Wailuku
