HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Regents approve Manoa repairs
Advertiser Staff
KAHULUI — The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents yesterday approved nearly $4 million in contracts to improve air-conditioning systems at the UH-Manoa campus.
During a meeting at Maui Community College, the board gave the go-ahead for the improvements at Watanabe, Kuykendall and Holmes halls and the Marine Science Building. Most of the air cooling systems and equipment that will be replaced are 20 to 25 years old, officials said.
Also approved for the January-to-March quarter was work to complete upgrades to the electrical distribution system at Manoa for an estimated $3.5 million.
At UH-Hilo, approved projects include a $1.1 million renovation of the theater, which was built in 1969; $1.3 million for covered walkways; and $3 million to improve air quality and reduce mold at the library, which will also get new paint and flooring.
BIG ISLAND
DRIVEWAY CRASH KILLS ATV DRIVER
HONOKA'A — A 64-year-old man died Wednesday in a crash of an all-terrain vehicle at his home on Pikake Street.
Big Island police said the accident happened a little after 3 p.m. when Ralph P. Schipa Jr. was riding a Yamaha Grizzly ATV up his gravel driveway and veered into a tree stump. He was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. at North Hawai'i Community Hospital.
Schipa's death was the second ATV-related fatality on the Big Island in less than a month. A 44-year-old Captain Cook woman died Oct. 22 under similar circumstances when the ATV she was operating ran off a private driveway and hit a tree.
METH RECIPIENT GETS 20-YEAR TERM
A federal judge yesterday sentenced a 33-year-old man to 20 years in prison in connection with the March 2003 shipment of 5.8 pounds of methamphetamine from California to a Hilo home.
Catarino Zavala-Ojeda was convicted of possession of the drug after it arrived in an Express Mail shipment to a home on Kuleana Loop.
Co-defendant Ernest Esparza was sentenced in May to 19 years in prison.
The men also had semi-automatic pistols hidden in their vehicles, a loaded AK-47 assault rifle and $36,030 in cash when arrested, the U.S. attorney's office said.
STATE
169 PUBLIC SCHOOLS WIN SAT HONORS
A hundred and sixty-nine of 282 public schools met or exceeded the national average on the 2005 Stanford Achievement Test to earn a spot on the "SAT Honor Roll," the state Department of Education announced yesterday.
The SAT is a national test that has been used for years in Hawai'i schools and compares how well students are doing with those in the rest of the nation.
To be included, a school's average had to be at or above the national norm on both the reading and math portions of the test. The recognized schools come from across the state: on O'ahu, they are Honolulu, 33; Central, 31, Leeward, 23, Windward, 21; Big Island, 22; Maui, 16, Kaua'i, 10; and charter schools, 13.
The complete list is available at doe.k12.hi.us.
HONOLULU
COUNCIL MEETS OVER VALLEY PARK
The Honolulu City Council met again yesterday to discuss a proposed confidential legal settlement involving Waimea Valley but recessed with no announcement of an agreement.
Members agreed to meet again Monday on the matter.
The city took control of the historic 1,875-acre valley on O'ahu's North Shore in 2002.
The city moved to condemn the valley, which is noted for its cultural resources, world-class plant collection and history.
At the time, city officials set aside $5.2 million toward the purchase, but present council members worry that the cost of the property could rise far above that. The owner, investor Christian Wolffer, has asked $19 million to $25 million for the property.
Although details have not been disclosed, those who advocate preservation say the plan would include subdividing part of the property for sale as house lots.
BEREAVED KIDS GET A SPECIAL DAY
The Reid Richards Foundation and other bereavement organizations will sponsor a free event tomorrow that invites children and their caregivers to celebrate the lives of their late loved ones.
"Reclaiming Joy," a day of games, holiday-season crafts and food, is set for 1 to 4 p.m. at Central Union Church and is open to the public.
There will be a jumper tent, popcorn, cotton candy, prizes, pictures with Santa and other activities.
The foundation was organized in 1999 in honor of Reid Richards, who died the year before at 33, leaving a wife and two children. Vivian Aiona, wife of Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona and Richards' aunt, is coordinator of the event.
In addition to the annual event, the foundation sponsors a six-month program to help children and family members cope with the loss of loved ones. Programs are underwritten by money raised in an annual golf tournament.
Information: 220-3491.
HPU TO REWARD STUDENT WRITERS
Hawai'i Pacific University is accepting entries for its 18th annual Hawai'i High Schools Writing Awards competition through Dec. 15.
Open to high school juniors and seniors, the competition awards three cash prizes — $500, $300 and $200 — as well as tuition-waiver scholarships of 75 percent, 50 percent and 25 percent to the top three winners.
The theme is a political, economic or social development that has had a significant impact on the history of Hawai'i and its relevance toward understanding the complexity of life in the Islands today.
For more information or to request a nomination form, call 544-1419.
KANE'OHE
HINA MAUKA GETS A $10,000 CHECK
The First Hawaiian Found-ation yesterday presented a $10,000 check to Hina Mauka substance-abuse treatment center in Kane'ohe to provide financial aid to the center's clients. The check is the first of five the center will receive from the foundation during the next five years, for a total of $50,000.
The grant will help "offset some of the cost for treatment for folks who don't have any resources," said M.P. "Andy" Anderson, CEO of Hina Mauka.
