HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Sexual assault suspect indicted
Advertiser Staff
An O'ahu grand jury yesterday indicted a 56-year-old man on a charge of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl at the Beretania Community Park on May 3.
Paul W. Lincoln was indicted on a charge of third-degree sexual assault, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Lincoln's bail was set at $75,000 at the request of city prosecutors.
Lincoln was arrested at 7:15 p.m. at the park after a police officer saw him fondling the child, according to police.
WAIKIKI
MAN ALLEGEDLY HIT BANK TWICE
A 37-year-old man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of robbing the same Waikiki bank twice at knife point.
The man was in police custody last night and faced federal bank robbery charges.
On March 30, a man entered the First Hawaiian Bank on Hobron Lane, brandished a knife and robbed several tellers of cash. On April 25, a man who matched the description of the March 30 robber used a knife to rob the same branch.
Police were able to identify the suspect and arrested him yesterday without incident.
WASHINGTON
AKAKA AGAIN TOUTS RECOGNITION BILL
U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka took to the Senate floor again yesterday to describe aspects of his namesake bill that would help establish a Native Hawaiian governing entity recognized by the federal government.
It was Day 2 of Akaka's avowed effort to give daily speeches on the Akaka bill until he can convince his colleagues to allow it to go forward.
"I want to reiterate, colleagues, that this bill is not race-based," Akaka said.
He said his bill is based on federal policies toward indigenous peoples and that "those who characterize this bill as race-based are really saying that Native Hawaiians are not native enough.
"I find this offensive and ask that you join me in my efforts to bring parity to Native Hawaiians by enacting my bill."
The Senate had been scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill last September, but Hurricane Katrina put it and other legislation on the back burner.
Akaka thanked Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for "working to uphold his commitment to bring this bill to the Senate floor for a debate and roll call vote."
STATEWIDE
BOARD OF REGENTS GAINS TWO MEMBERS
Marlene Hapai and Michael Dahilig were confirmed by the state Senate for one-year appointments to the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents, the university said in a news release yesterday. Regent J.C. Haynes II was reappointed to a second term.
Hapai's and Dahilig's appointments will expire on June 30, 2007. Haynes' new term will expire in 2010.
Hapai is project director of STARnet, a U.S. Department of Education grant program, and is credited with the idea for the science education center at 'Imi-loa Astronomy Center of Hawai'i on the Big Island. She has taught for several years at both UH-Manoa and UH-Hilo and has served as associate dean of UH-Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.
Dahilig, a third-year William S. Richardson School of Law student at UH-Manoa, has been appointed to the student position on the Board of Regents.
Haynes, chief executive of Maui Petroleum, joined the Board of Regents in 2003.
BARBERS POINT
HECO ILLEGALLY DUMPED PCBS
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has fined Hawaiian Electric Co. $1,375 for improperly disposing of 75 pounds of absorbent material that contained a toxic substance.
In February 2004, a utility pole broke in Honolulu and spilled oil from three transformers.
A HECO crew used about 75 pounds of absorbent to soak up the oil and disposed of the material at the city's H-Power facility, the EPA said.
Three days later, tests confirmed the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, in the transformer that leaked the oil.
The EPA said HECO violated federal law by disposing of the waste before receiving the test results, and disposing of the waste at a facility that is not approved to handle PCB-contaminated waste.
'AIEA
BONE MARROW DRIVE IS SATURDAY
The Hawai'i Bone Marrow Donor Registry at St. Francis Medical Center will hold a bone marrow drive from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Pearlridge Center Uptown, Center Court.
The "Thanks, Mom! Marrow Donor Drive" is part of a nationwide donor recruitment campaign.
Donors must be 18 to 60 years old and in good general health. For more information, call the registry at 547-6154 or see www.stfrancishawaii.org/hawaiibonemarrow.
HONOLULU
PUBLIC EDUCATION DINNER IS MAY 17
The Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation will honor distinguished public school graduates, teachers, administrators, grant awardees and corporate honorees at its 15th annual Kulia I Ka Nu'u Awards Banquet on May 17.
The event will take place in the Hilton Hawaiian Village Coral Ballroom.
More than 1,300 public school supporters are expected to attend the banquet.
The Public Schools of Hawai'i Foundation is an independent, nonprofit corporation dedicated to strengthening public education by creating opportunities for innovative school-level ideas and supporting programs that benefit students.
For more information about purchasing sponsor tables and individual seats ($150 each), call 943-1622.
