HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Mail troops' gifts by tomorrow
Advertiser Staff
Military families and others preparing holiday care packages for military service members overseas need to mail them no later than tomorrow, according to the United States Postal Service.
Packages being sent by Parcel Post to any Air or Army Post Office or Fleet Post Office Zip Codes need to be shipped early to reach stationed troops overseas in time for the holidays.
Letters and cards sent by First-Class Mail should be posted no later than Dec. 10.
All packages and mail must be addressed to individual service members in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense regulations.
BOY, 13, HIT WHILE CROSSING ROAD
A 13-year-old boy was hit by a car about 4 p.m. yesterday while crossing Moanalua Road in front of a furniture store at Pearlridge Shopping Center.
Witnesses told police the boy darted into the street from between two parked vehicles and was hit by a car driven by a 57-year-old man.
The boy was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition but was upgraded last night to serious condition, according to police. Witnesses told police that the driver was not speeding. The boy was not in a crosswalk.
CLOSURES SET FOR MAJOR ROADWAYS
The Wilson Tunnel will be completely closed in the Kane'ohe-bound direction Sunday through Tuesday between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. for roadside barrier work and wall cleaning.
Also, the tunnel will be closed in the Honolulu-bound direction on Wednesday and Thursday between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. There also may be a closure on Tuesday, weather permitting, said the state Department of Transportation.
In addition, the H-1 Freeway will be completely closed in the eastbound direction between the Middle Street Overpass and the Likelike Highway off-ramp Monday through Thursday, between the hours of 9 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. for resurfacing.
Motorists are advised to use the H-1 Freeway eastbound Airport Viaduct, or exit Moanalua Freeway at the Pu'uloa Road off-ramp as an alternative route, and to allow for extra time.
In Wai'anae, the right Honolulu-bound lane of Farrington Highway will be closed between Ala Akau and Ala Hema streets between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Motorists should anticipate delays and allow for extra time.
BOGUS $20 BILL LEADS TO ARREST
A 23-year-old Kalihi man was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill at a Ward Centre restaurant.
Police said the man ordered a drink at the restaurant's bar and tried to pay with a bogus bill.
The customer tried to leave after the bill was challenged but was stopped by an employee.
Police arrested the man on suspicion of first-degree forgery.
GIRLS ADMIT KIDNAP NEVER HAPPENED
Two 13-year-old Wai'anae girls falsely claimed that a man kidnapped them and tried to sexually assault them Wednesday, police said.
The girls told police they were forced into a white van about 1:30 p.m. by an unknown man in his 30s who took them to a beach park, threatened to harm them and ordered them to remove their clothes.
When the girls were taken to the beach park and questioned separately by detectives, they gave widely differing accounts as to what happened before admitting they had lied.
Police said the pair admitted there was no van or kidnapper, and that they had walked to the beach to meet up with their friends.
WAIKIKI MAN HELD IN HOTEL BURGLARY
A 23-year-old Waikiki man was arrested on suspicion of burglary Wednesday after a witness saw him leaping from one balcony to another on the top floor of a Waikiki hotel, police said.
Police arrived a little past 4 p.m. and watched a man climb down the exterior of the building from the top floor to the one below and disappear into a room.
While officers were searching the hotel and the surrounding area, they found a man in the parking lot of an adjacent hotel who fit the description of the suspect and saw that he was holding a backpack with an ID tag attached to it.
The officers called the telephone number on the tag and reached a man who said he was in his hotel room and had just learned it had been burglarized.
The hotel guest identified the backpack and its contents.
BOY, 14, CAUGHT DRIVING STOLEN CAR
A 14-year-old Kapolei boy was arrested at about 10:40 p.m. Wednesday in Hau'ula after police reported finding him driving a stolen car.
The boy was arrested on suspicion of unauthorized control of a vehicle and was later released without charges pending further investigation.
