HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Seagull Schools to break ground
Advertiser Staff
Seagull Schools will break ground tomorrow for a $4.3 million preschool to serve the 'Ewa Beach area.
The campus, to accommodate 180 preschool children ages 2-5, will be built on 1.25 acres of land donated by Ocean Pointe developer Haseko.
The developer of 4,850 single- and multifamily homes at Ocean Pointe also donated $200,000 toward the school's construction.
"Haseko laid the foundation for this school with its donation of land and a generous contribution of $200,000," said Chuck Larson, Seagull Schools executive director, in a statement.
Larson said the state gave the school a $1 million grant in aid to help build the school. And Gov. Linda Lingle will be on hand tomorrow to talk about her administration's early-childhood initiatives.
Other donations came from private foundations and individuals, said Larson. The school also received a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Larson said he expects the school to be complete by November and open in December.
Interested parents may obtain applications by calling Seagull Schools' main office at 261-8534.
KALIHI
POST OFFICE WILL BE RENAMED
The Kalihi post office will be renamed after the late U.S. Sen. Hiram L. Fong, under a law signed yesterday by President Bush.
The newly designated Hiram L. Fong Post Office Building is at 1271 N. King St.
Fong, the first U.S. senator of Asian ancestry, served as a Republican in the Senate from 1959, when Hawai'i became a state, to 1977, when he retired from office. He died on Aug. 18, 2004.
In a statement yesterday, Gov. Linda Lingle said, "Renaming this post office building is a significant and meaningful way to commemorate his service and perpetuate the memory of this outstanding public servant."
O'AHU
FREEWAY FATALITIES IDENTIFIED
The medical examiner's office yesterday identified two men killed in separate freeway accidents Tuesday and Wednesday as Ronilo Pebenito, 47, and Rodney Bars, 27.
Pebenito, a Honolulu resident, died Tuesday in a collision involving a 2006 Dodge Stratus and a 2005 Toyota Camry at about 10:45 p.m. in an eastbound lane of the H-1 Freeway near the Vineyard Boulevard exit.
He died at The Queen's Medical Center. Cause and manner of death have been deferred pending further investigation.
Bars, a Pearl City resident, was the driver of a 2005 Toyota Camry that crashed into a state Department of Transportation electronic warning sign on Moanalua Freeway at 12:29 a.m. Wednesday.
Bars was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy determined he died of cranial vertebrae trauma caused by a motor-vehicle collision.
The two deaths increased to nine the number of people killed on O'ahu roadways this month and 20 for the year to date. The statewide total for 2005 was 37.
HONOLULU
MOCK LEGISLATURE BEGINS SUNDAY
Opening ceremony of the five-day YMCA of Honolulu's Youth Legislature program "Taking Over the Capitol" will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the state Capitol's House Chamber.
During the mock legislature session, students will write bills, vote for legislation and lobby the student governor, who will be elected tomorrow. About 50 students in grades 9-12 from 10 O'ahu schools are participating.
The students will be meeting at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa through the week.
KAUA'I
BUSES TO OPERATE ON HOLIDAYS AGAIN
The Kaua'i County bus system will begin operating on most holidays, starting with Kuhio Day on Monday.
Holiday operations will be on a reduced schedule — the same one used on Saturdays.
The bus previously shut down on all holidays. The system will still not run on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day, and will continue to remain parked on Sundays.
It will operate, in addition to Kuhio Day, on Good Friday, Memorial Day, Kamehameha Day, Independence Day, Admissions Day, Labor Day, Election Day, Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents Day.
"Now that we have a number of new buses and funding approved by the County Council, we're finally able to launch the holiday bus service," said Janine Rapozo, county transportation executive. For more information, call 241-6410.
STATEWIDE
POWER PLANT PROJECT SELECTED
A state initiative to divert discarded fishnet to a power plant to fuel 42 homes a year was named one of the Top 50 Government Innovations for 2006.
Seven of the top 50 public-sector programs will be selected for the Innovations in American Government Awards, which comes with a $100,000 grant.
The 18 finalists will be announced on May 4, while the seven finalists will be announced on July 10.
For more information, see www.ashinstitute.harvard.edu or www.excelgov.org.
