HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Church observes Kwanzaa tonight
Advertiser Staff
The African-American and Pan-African family holiday of Kwanzaa will be celebrated from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church .
The Kwanzaa celebration focuses on the values of family, community responsibility, commerce and self-improvement. It is considered a time of reaffirmation of African-American ancestry and culture.
The local celebration is being sponsored by the Hawai'i chapter of The Links Inc., a nonprofit community service organization consisting of professional women of color.
Trinity Missionary Baptist Church is at 3950 Paine Circle, near Honolulu International Airport.
GRANT TO ASSIST ELDERLY, DISABLED
The Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i has received a $450,000 federal grant to help elderly and disabled public housing residents become more self-sufficient.
The grant will go toward programs in the Kalakaua, Makua Ali'i and Paoakalani projects.
The agency will contract with the Honolulu Gerontology Program of Child & Family to provide case management, group activities, translation and other services for residents, said Stephanie Aveiro, HCDCH executive director.
MAUI
HELP SOUGHT FOR HALEAKALA PROJECT
HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARK — Volunteers are needed to care for native plants and remove invasive species during a Jan. 14-16 service project in Haleakala Crater.
Participants will stay at Kapalaoa Cabin, and organizers promise there will be time for exploring and relaxing. The group will hike in on the Sliding Sands Trail and come out on the Halemau'u Trail. Up to 12 people can be accommodated. For reservations and information, call (808) 876-1673, or check the Friends of Haleakala National Park's Web site at www.fhnp.org.
WORK TO CLOSE FRONT STREET
LAHAINA — A portion of Front Street will be closed for several weeks to allow for construction at the Lahaina Wastewater Pump Station.
The closure between Shaw Street and Kaua'ula Road starts Tuesday until February. The Department of Public Works and Environmental Management project involves replacement of a force main.
The gate on Kauaula Road will be open to subdivision residents and emergency vehicles during the construction hours of 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily. Others will have to detour.
For more information, call project engineers Eric Nakagawa at (808) 270-7417 or Grant Kaulback at (808) 357-5082.
THEFT SUSPECT HELD AT HARBOR
LAHAINA — A hot cup of coffee was used to flush out a suspected thief yesterday at Lahaina Harbor.
Tad Luckey of Luckey's Fishing Charters noticed his backpack missing at 5:30 a.m. from behind the counter at the harbor's Slip 52, according to Capt. Charles Hirata of the Maui Police Department. Luckey told co-worker William Sinclair he had seen a man walking away with a backpack, and Sinclair headed for a line of boulders at one end of the harbor. Suspecting the thief was nearby, but unable to see in the dark, Sinclair began pouring his cup of coffee out onto the rocks, Hirata said.
Scalded by the hot liquid, a 21-year-old man yelled and jumped up with Luckey's backpack in his hand, Hirata said. The suspect, Glen Rapisura of Wailuku, was escorted back to the boat slip and charged with theft. Luckey's wallet was missing from the backpack, but was found hidden among the boulders.
Rapisura was being held yesterday at the Lahaina Police Station, with bail set at $1,000.
'AIEA
DISCUSSION CLUB MEETS AT LIBRARY
The 'Aiea Book Discussion Club will have its final session on "The Kite Runner" at 'Aiea Public Library on Jan. 5.
A limited number of copies of the novel by Kahled Hosseini are available for loan at the reference desk, as are a list of suggested discussion questions. The free 75-minute program begins at 6:45 p.m. and is appropriate for those ages 12 to adult.
Call the library at 483-7333.
MANOA
UH TO RECEIVE NASA GRANTS
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa, a longtime collaborator with NASA, will receive grants from the space agency totalling up to $107,161 to support the Mars Odyssey research program.
The program studies water's role in the potential for life elsewhere in the universe and develops technology for human exploration in space, among other topics.
The research also supports the Vision for Space Exploration, NASA's long-term plan to return astronauts to the moon and extend exploration to Mars and beyond.
