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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Monday, August 29, 2005

HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Passenger on motorcycle dies

Advertiser Staff

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A 20-year-old woman passenger on a motorcycle was killed late Saturday night in a collision on the H-1 Freeway, 94 feet east of the airport on-ramp.

Police vehicular homicide Sgt. Lorenzo Ridela said the fatal collision involved a speeding Honda motorcycle, which rear-ended a 1995 Chevy Blazer that had just made a right-lane change on the H-1 viaduct. The collision was reported to police at 10:55 p.m.

A 23-year-old man operating the motorcycle and his passenger were thrown from the motorcycle. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene, Ridela said.

The motorcycle operator was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition. The driver of the Blazer, a 19-year-old man, and his woman passenger, 18, were not injured.

Two eastbound lanes of the freeway were closed to traffic from 10:58 p.m. to 3 a.m.

The medical examiner's office was trying to confirm the woman's identity before releasing her name. The death was O'ahu's 58th traffic fatality of the year, compared with 45 on the same date in 2004.


O'AHU

CITY TO EXPLAIN TAX EXEMPTIONS

The city will hold two public informational meetings this week on property tax exemptions.

The first is today at the Wahiawa Recreation Center. The second is Friday at the Whitmore Village Recreation Center. Both meetings begin at 8:45 a.m.

The meetings will provide information about real property tax exemptions for homeowners 55 and older, other exemptions and the tax relief ordinance.

Sept. 30 is the deadline to file for multiple exemptions for the 2006-07 fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2006.

Also today, officials from the city's Real Property Assessment Division will be at the Kahuku Recreation Center from 9 a.m. to noon to help farmers designate their land for agricultural use. Such "dedication" of land ensures them the lower farm rate for property taxes.

For more information, visit www.honolulupropertytax.com.


KAUA'I

POLICE OVERTIME CONCERNS COUNTY

Kaua'i County is auditing its police department to find out how the force overspent its annual budget by $321,000.

County Finance Director Mike Tresler said it was the first time in history a department had a budget overrun.

Tresler said he was made aware of the situation in July by his staff.

Mayor Bryan Baptiste said he wants answers.

"We need to find out how it happened to correct the mistakes and prevent it from happening again," he told the Kaua'i Police Commission on Friday. "It can't get to the point where we have (these kinds) of overruns in our departments."

The department has cited overtime as the main culprit of the budget overrun.

Councilman Mel Rapozo, a former police officer, told the commission "somebody dropped the ball. We've got to look into it. It's a lot of money."

Tresler said a report and recommendations would be ready for the commission within two weeks.

The commission is scheduled to discuss the matter at its Sept. 14 meeting.


KAILUA

HIGH SCHOOL PLANS FUNDRAISER

Kailua High School's Project Graduation 2007 will have a HI 5¢ can and bottle fundraising drive Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the school's parking lot.

Proceeds will go toward the school's 2007 Project Graduation, an all-night party that provides students with a safe, drug- and alcohol-free graduation celebration. Call 261-1361 or e-mail kailua2007@hotmail.com.

The class has scheduled additional recycling drives on Oct. 1, Oct. 29 and Nov. 26.