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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, February 23, 2005

HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Ex-city employee gets prison term

Advertiser Staff

A former investigator with the city Medical Examiner's Office was sentenced yesterday to 15 years to life in prison for the murder of a Kane'ohe man at a Manoa house and growing marijuana there.

Circuit Judge Steven Alm ordered Gregory R. Awana to serve at least 15 years of his life term with parole possible because he used a firearm in the murder of Yorck Woita, 28, on Aug. 29, 2003.

At the time, Awana worked for the city medical examiner's office.

Awana, 39, told police he shot Woita three times in the head and then dumped the body in the ocean off Kane'ohe Bay. He contended he acted in self-defense, but a Circuit Court jury in December rejected self-defense, also agreeing with the prosecution that the gun couldn't have fired three times by accident.

The jury found Awana guilty of murder, related charges and commercial promotion of marijuana.

After he serves 15 years, the Hawai'i Paroling Authority will determine when Awana can be released on parole.

Woita's body was not found.



WAHIAWA

Girl arrested after stabbing

A 14-year-old Wahiawa girl was arrested yesterday after a 13-year-old boy was stabbed in the chest just outside Wahiawa Intermediate School.

The boy was treated at The Queen's Medical Center and released in good condition, police said.

Police said the boy and girl got into an argument at about 2:20 p.m. when the girl pulled a knife. The boy challenged the girl to a fight and kicked her, police said.

The girl then stabbed the boy in the chest, police said. Another boy, armed with a piece of wood, chased the girl from the scene, police said.

An off-duty police officer saw the boy chasing the girl and detained the girl until police arrived. The girl was arrested in an investigation of second-degree attempted murder, but no charge was filed as of last night.



STATEWIDE

Fire departments win federal cash

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, announced yesterday that $708,106 in federal grants will be given to the Ho-nolulu Fire Department and the Hawai'i County Fire Department.

The money will be used for training, equipment, wellness and fitness and repairs to fire stations and facilities.

The Honolulu Fire Department will receive $407,106 and the Big Island department will receive $301,000.



Cesspool owners facing deadline

Hawai'i facilities with cesspools that serve 20 or more people must shut them down by April 5 and replace them with alternative waste disposal systems, such as a sewer hookup or an approved septic system.

The state Department of Health and the federal Environmental Protection Agency have been working with many properties that have large-capacity cesspools. Officials estimate there are as many as 2,000 of these in Hawai'i, serving restaurants, government buildings, hotels, offices and apartment buildings.

"We are focusing on Hawai'i's cesspool problems on each island to protect Hawai'i's drinking water, streams and beaches from these sources of contamination," said Alexis Strauss, director of EPA's Water Division for the Pacific Southwest Region.

Daily fines of up to $32,500 can be assessed for owners who don't upgrade by the deadline. For more information, see www.epa.gov/region09/water/groundwater/uic-hicesspools.html.



WAIKIKI

Genealogy talk at 10 this morning

A free talk on genealogy will be given at 10 a.m. today at the Waikiki Community Center, 310 Paoakalani Ave. Edith McKinzie will talk about Native Hawaiian entitlement groups such as Hawaiian Homes and Kamehameha Schools, and how knowing your family background can help when children or grandchildren apply for benefits. Call 923-1802.



O'AHU

16th-century ship replica arriving

The Nao Victoria, a replica of a 16th-century Spanish sailing ship, will arrive in Hono-lulu Harbor at about 11 a.m. today depending on wind conditions.

The ship is on a world tour, and Hawai'i is the only port it will visit in the United States. The ship will take part in the Expo Aichi 2005 in Japan as part of the Spanish pavilion.

The ship will dock at Aloha Tower Marketplace near Kapono's main stage.

Free tours and demonstrations will be offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, call 566-2337.



PEARL CITY

Car sales to help local high school

$100 from any new or used vehicle sold Saturday and Sunday at Cutter Ford/Isuzu, 98-015 Kamehameha Highway in 'Aiea, will be donated to Pearl City High School's Project Graduation 2005 committee. Pearl City High seniors will be at the car dealership both days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., selling waffle hot dogs.



MANOA

Indonesian will lecture at UH

An Indonesian authority on Islam will speak on the relationship between the religion and politics at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow at Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Azyumardi Azra, rector of Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta State Islamic University, will speak on "Indonesian Islam and Post-Election Politics."

He is among the top scholars on moderate Islam in Indonesia, where more Muslims live than in any other country.



BIG ISLAND

3 Puna residents held in attacks

HILO, Hawai'i — Police arrested three suspects in connection with a weekend attack and robbery at Coconut Island in Hilo Bay.

The incident occurred at 11:30 p.m. Sunday when three male University of Hawai'i-Hilo students and two male teenagers from Kona reportedly were accosted by a group of eight males, who demanded money and car keys. Minutes later police arrested three suspects. One of them, Curtis Nihipali, 19, of Puna, was charged yesterday with second-degree robbery and illegal possession of brass knuckles, police said. Nihipali was being held in in lieu of $2,100 bail.


Correction: Cutter Ford/Isuzu in 'Aiea is donating $100 for every new or used vehicle sold tomorrow and Sunday to the Pearl City High School Project Graduation fund. The amount to be donated was incorrect in a previous version of this story.