The Week In Review
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Summarized by Sharon Westfall
EDUCATION RALLY -- About 500 Maui public school teachers, their children
and students demonstrated in the county capital, pleading for public and
government support for education. The carried signs and lined the corner
of High and Main streets, waving to passers-by and encouraging them to
"Honk for Education." The motorists obliged, and for Rob O'Connor, a
Kalama Intermediate School teacher, the public response and teacher
participation was a morale booster. "This is one of the best things that
has happened in a long time," O'Connor said. "It's great to see all this
support." Wednesday's demonstration was organized by the Hawaii State
Teachers Association and the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly.
Other rallies were held across Hawaii and at the State Capitol, where the
1996 Legislature held its opening session. HSTA Maui Chapter President
Karolyn Mossman said the purpose of the rally was to put the issue of
education squarely before Cayetano and the public. "I'm afraid if we're
too quiet, they may think we're willing to accept cuts," Mossman said.
SHARK ENCOUNTER -- Bob Rogowicz, on his 42nd visit to Hawaii, spends much
of his vacations in the water and doing a lot of long-distance swimming,
and has never seen a shark before - until this week. The 53-year-old San
Rafael, Calif., man is feeling the consequences of his very first shark
encounter with 47 stitches in his left foot. Rogowicz, a retired Internal
Revenue Service manager, was swimming alone in 15 feet of water 100 yeard
from shore and about 200 yard from Napili Point when he felt something and
turned around. "It was the suprise of my life," he said. "My first
thought was this shark is larger than I am." The big gray fish was
perhaps 8 to 10 feet in length. Without thinking, Rogowicz curled up his
legs and thrust them at the shark, connecting with its face. The next
thing he knew, the shark had turned sideways and was there right up next
to him. He estimated it was about 2-1/2 feet thick, and it felt like sand
paper. "I put both of my hands on the side of the shark and pushed off,"
he said. The shark didn't give way, but it did provide leverage for a
good shove-off for Rogowicz to make his escape. The incident happened on
the first day of his latest Hawaiian trip, a 16-day vacation. "I had just
gotten off the airplane, had driven to the condo and jumped in the water,"
he said. Will he swim in the ocean again? "Yes," he said with no
hesitation.
SEXUAL ASSAULT -- Police are investigating a report that a man posing as
an undercover police officer pulled a woman over on Kula Highway and
sexually assaulted her. The 55-year-old woman reported she was traveling
in a pickup truck toward Keokea at about 10:30 p.m. near Milepost 10 when
she was forced to pull over to the shoulder. The driver identified
himself as an undercover officer and said there was something wrong with
her tailights and asked to see her driver's license and registration. As
she was looking for the documents, the man entered the passenger side of
the pickup and shut the door. She told police he then grabbed her by the
back of the neck and forced her to perform oral sex on him. Afterward,
the man got out of the truck without saying anything and drove away in
the Keokea direction. No suspect was arrested.
MOTOCROSS PROPOSAL -- The Kahului Harbor breakwater would be home to a
world-class bicycle motocross racing facility suitable for national and
international events under a proposal unveiled before a Maui County
Council committee. The proposal drew a mixed reaction from members of the
Parks and Recreation Committee. While Chairman Alan Arakawa said the
proposal is worthy of serious consideration, Council Member Wayne Nishiki
said he would rather see the area reserved for water-related activities.
The committee was deliberating the future of the 23-acre breakwater area
as an extension of the future Maui Central Park, which generally stretches
between Kaahumanu Avenue and Kahului Beach Road, Kanaloa Avenue and the
Maui Community College campus. The mayor's Maui Central Park Master Plan
Advisory Committee adopted a plan last year that shows a fish pond as the
dominant feature of the breakwater area. But Lee Hunter, president of the
Maui BMX Organization, told committee members Tuesday that his group needs
10 acres to build an outstanding racing facility for BMX bike racing. He
said the group wants to hold at least one national or world cup event a
month, drawing thousands of people from across the nation and the globe to
events shown on national television.
FBI PROBE -- The Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking into an
allegation of sexual misconduct by the No.2 man at the Maui Police
Department. Deputy Chief Lanny Tihada, a 25-year police veteran, is
being accused of accosting a female civilian employee while she was on
duty at the Molokai Police Station last April. Tihada's attorney,
Michael Green, has called the allegation "false and untrue" and said his
client is the victim of "character assassination." Clayton Ikei, the
Honolulu attorney who is representing the female employee, confirmed that
he is preparing a federal court complaint against the Maui Police
Department alleging sexual harassment. Bothe the Police Department and
the county's Equal Employment Opportunity officer, Richard Haake, looked
into the alleged incident and decided no disciplinary action was
warranted. The woman initially indicated she did not want to pursue a
complaint with the county, and Haake said Tihada told him he had
apologized to the employee.
HOTELIERS OPTIMISTIC -- Maui resort general managers are the most
optimistic in the state about having a better year in 1996 than in 1995.
Pannell Kerr Forster, the Honolulu accounting and consulting firm that
tracks hotel occupancy rates monthly, also surveyed resort managers about
the year ahead. On Maui, more than 90 percent said they believe their
properties will see better operating profits this year. Few, if any, Maui
resorts are showing net profits because of enormous debt loads that
resulted from purchases at high prices in the late '80s and early '90s, or
high costs of new construction. And two Maui hotels, the Kapalua Bay
Hotel and the Plantation Inn, are in bankruptcy as they work their ways
out of financial trouble. But occupancy rates and, in many cases, average
room prices have been climbing.
WAILUKU -- Teachers and students at Wailuku Elementary School will benefit
from Catherine Kalehuawehe's love for science and teaching through a grant
she won for excellence in her work. A veteran kindergarten teacher,
Kalehuawehe was named the state's Presidential Award winner for excellence
in science teaching on the elementary level. This spring Kalehuawehe will
embark on an all-expenses-paid trip to Wahington, D.C., where she'll meet
President Clinton. She'll also be handed a $7,500 grant from the
National Science Foundation. She has decided to use the money to conduct
teacher workshops at the Wailuku Elementary campus. The Presidential
Award is the nation's highest honor for science and math teachers in
kindergarten through 12th grade.
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SCH Tshirt Update!
Just letting everyone know that we're just about at the 144 minimum
tshirt order (138, actually, and I know I still have message unopened in
my in basket with the words "SCH tshirt" as the subject!)
Thanks to all of you that sent in your orders! For those of you reading
this from the Hawaii L news mailing list, thanks goes to Ryan Ozawa -- I
wrote to him and asked if I could send my ordering info at the end of this
Maui News Highlights report. He had already copied the post from SCH and
sent it out to the list! (da buggah...)
I do need everyone that ordered a shirt to send in their monies, right
away, I need to make half the payment when ordering, the second half when
the shirts are pau.
Even after I've turned in the first order, I will continue to take orders
and put in for another, after the previous printing is done, because
reprints only require a 36 tshirts minimum.
If you need the ordering instructions again, just email me and I'll send
it to you email.
Thanks again!
The Week In Review
-----------------------------------------
From: Sharon Westfall
HALEAKALA RECORD - Despite three weeks in which visitors were locked out
due to the federal government shutdown, Maui's national park set its own
attendance record in 1995, breaking the mark established the previous year
by nearly 70,000. National Park Service officials said that 1995's
attendance total was 1,623,687, which is a 4.3 percent increase over 1994,
when attendance was 1,556,417. Park Superintendent Don Reeser said
Haleakala remains Maui's No. 1 visitor destination even though the late
December shutdown occurred at a time of year when attendance should have
been even greater. "My guess is that if we were open those three weeks,
the total would have been close to 1.7 million," he said. Reeser said the
numbers likely reflect a year of excellent weather. "It's been
exceptional -- very dry," he said.
C. BREWER WATER -- Protecting Maui's main source of drinking water from
overpumping relies to a great extent on water supplies underneath or on
land owned by C. Brewer & Co. Ltd., according to the county Department of
Water Supply. Board of Water Supply members approved an official response
to a Nov. 30 request for information on the status of the Iao aquifer from
state Commission on Water Resource Management Chairman Michael Wilson, who
also heads the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Expressing
concern about pumping in excess of Iao aquifer's safe
20-million-gallon-per-day limit, Wilson asked for - among other things - a
description of water source alternatives, a detailed list of actions to
implement the alternatives and projected increases in water demand for the
Central Maui water system, which also serves South Maui residents. The
water commission has scheduled a Jan. 24 meeting on Maui to take up the
Iao aquifer issue. If commissioners are not convinced Maui water
officials can manage the water source, then they could "designate" the
aquafer, meaning its use would fall under state control.
GASOLINE EMERGENCY -- A gasoline leak caused by a faulty valve at the
Chevron USA Inc. tank farm near Kahului Harbor brought emergency crews on
the run and triggered the temporary closing off of streets in the area.
It was estimated that between 300 and 400 gallons of super-unleaded
gasoline spewed a 130,000-gallon storage tank, but the leak was contained
by the berm that surrounds the tanks. Things were under control within 90
minutes and none of the fuel was reported to have reached the ocean or
nearby Kanaha Pond Wildlife Refuge. The few businesses forced to
evacuate, such as Valley Isle Produce across the street, were allowed to
open up again at 1 p.m., the same time that traffic returned to normal.
For 2-1/2 hours, police blocked off roads within 200 yards of the spill,
including Amala Place and Hobron Avenue, frustrating motorists. Hana
Highway traffic was also rerouted during a portion of the incident.
NOT THIS NOMINEE -- There were no real negative comments about Board of
Water Supply nominee John Kikukawa. He did not appear before the Maui
County Council's Committe of the Whole, and no one asked to interview him.
Yet the panel voted 7-1 to recommend denial of Kikukawa's nomination
because Council Member Pat Kawano of Molokai thinks there is a better man
for the job. Saying he had "nothing against" Kikukawa, the owner and
manager of the Mid Nite Inn on Molokai, Kawano said he was disappointed
Lingle didn't nominate Rhinehardt Place of Kaunakakai, a retiree with 27
years of experience with the Department of Water Supply as a pipefitter
and foreman on Molokai. "He will know every tank, every pump and
everything else," Kawano said. "I think it's a big slap in the face to
not even interview this guy." Kikukawa's nomination won support only from
Committee of the Whole Chairman Wayne Nishiki, who was unable to get a
request from any panel members to call Kikukawa from Molokai to answer
questions. Nishiki told committee members the water board nomination was
the mayor's perogative. "We're not the mayor," he said. "Know your
position. We're council people." After the meeting, Lingle said the
committee's action was "hard to believe." "I think the council is
exceeding its authority by trying to decide who gets appointed," she said.
PARKS BILL OPPOSED -- Maui Tomorrow, an organization of residents
committed to managing growth, preserving natural areas and ensuring
ecologically sound development for the island, has gone on record opposing
the park assessment bill passed by the Maui County Council and awaiting
action by Mayor Linda Crockett Lingle. In a two-page statement to
lawmakers, the group urged Lingle to veto the ordinance. Maui Tomorrow
President Anthony Ranken later said that because he has been assured by
Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Alan Arakawa that controversial
clauses in the bill will continue to be addressed, the organization no
longer feels as strongly about calling for Lingle's veto. The bill that
was passed 7-2 by the council essentially gives developers the choice to
determine if they pay their park assessment in cash or land. An earlier
bill, the one that was recommended by the parks committee, provided that a
team of county officials decide the method of payment. Maui Tomorrow
suggests that "for any subdivision greater than three lots but less than,
say, 12 lots" the landowner would file a sworn statement claiming that 50
percent of the lots would be sold or given to family members. In this
case, the subdivider would have the option to chose cash or land. Maui
Tomorrow also urged the elimination of the large discrepancy between the
cash or land assessment. In the present law, if the developer pays cash,
a payment of only 45 percent of the land's value is required. The group
said that large gap is unfair to subdividers who are required to give land
and "it also encourages subdividers to choose cash contributions instead
of land dedications, which is against public policy." The group suggested
increasing the cash payment to 100 percent of the value of the land to
ensure "equal tratment of all subdividers."
JAIL SEX SUIT -- A former inmate at the Maui Community Correctional center
is suing state officials and the jail guard who forced her to perform oral
sex on two occasions last year. Attorneys for Brenda Lee Baker, 30,
contend that similar assaults against women in custody at MCCC and other
institutions in Hawaii are so common and have gone on for so long that
they constitute an endorsement of such activitiy by senior officials in
the state Department of Public Safety. Named in the lawsuit are former
guard Michael Saffery, 34, who was sent to prison for 10 years last month
for the offenses Baker details in her lawsuit, DPS Director George Iranon
and MCCC Warden Albert Murashige. The suit alleges that Saffery forced
Baker to perform oral sex on him on May 16 and June 7, 1994. On another
occasion, she was able to prevent the assault, the lawsuit states.
Saffery is accused of threatening her with solitary confinement, and
promising her extra privileges to gain sexual favors. Iranon and
Murashige are accused of being indifferent to the civil rights of Baker,
failing to implement policies to sreen out guards who might abuse female
inmates and general negligence in not protecting women in jail.
TRAFFIC DEATH -- Maui's first traffic fatality of the new year killed a
Wailuku Man after his car flipped over and was struck by a van driven by
his father. Eric Kolomitz, 19, was pronounced dead at Maui Memorial
Hospital following the 11:48 p.m. accident near Milepost 11 on
Honoapiilani Highway. Police say Kolomitz was driving a Black 1972 Toyota
sedan toward Maalaea when the car flipped over and skidded on its roof
along the highway. Kolomitz's father was behind the wheel of a white 1989
Ford Aerostar following behind the sedan that then struck the driver's
side of the vehicle.
The Week In Review
-----------------------------------------
From: Sharon Westfall
UPCOUNTRY PLAN -- Maui County Council Planning Committee members
maneuvered around cow pies and horse manure Wednesday afternoon during
site inspections of a number of Upcountry pastures proposed for changes in
the Makawao-Pukalani-Kula Community Plan. Later at the Mayor Eddie Tam
Memorial Center, they avoided, for the most part, the plan's most
controversial issue -- Eric Barto's proposed development of the 11.2-acre
former Crook Estate in the center of Makawao town. Planning Committee
Chairman Tom Morrow made it clear in advance of Wednesday night's meeting
that the Barto Project was not going to be up for discussion at this point
and that the committe's aim was to focus on other aspects of the community
plan. The meeting attracted about 75 people as opposed to the hundreds
that might have shown up if the Barto development were on the agenda.
Charles Kauluwehi Maxwell Sr., a member of the former Upcountry citizen
advisory committee, and Madelyn D'Enbeau, chairwoman of the Makawao Main
Street Association, were critical of the decision not to discuss the Barto
project. Both said the Upcountry community plan should be viewed as a
comprehensive whole, with the Barto property as an important component.
Morrow said the dicision not to deal immediately with the Barto project
arose, in part, from his understanding that parties involved in the
controversy are trying to work out their differences. He said he wanted
to give them time to do that while the committee focused on other aspects
of the Upcountry plan.
BARBARA MATTSON -- Barbara Mattson, a Haiku resident and a member of
Molokai's Meyer family, died Dec. 29, 1995, at Maui Memorial Hospital,
leaving her husband, an son and a century-old collection of stuffed native
birds praised by Bishop Museum officials. She was 70. "She had all of
these birds in little boxes, carefully preserved," said Molokai attorney
Yola Meyer Forbes, whose grandfather was a sibbling to Mrs. Mattson's
grandmother. "They were in far better shape than some of the ones at
Bishop Museum." Mrs. Mattson was the great-grand-daughter of R.W. Meyer,
the legendary landowner of Molokai and longtime superintendent of
Kalaupapa settlement during the time of Father Damien de Veuster.
VISITOR PICTURE -- The Hawaii Visitors Bureau has found no reason to
expect much change in the visitor picture in 1996. In 1995, Asian tourism
grew at about 6 percent to 8 percent, and westbound visits were about
flat. A November survey of 351 travel agents found that Hawaii can expect
a modest growth in visitors, perhaps 1 percent to 3 percent. Mainland
travel is not expected to grow much, if at all, this year. That is
negative news for Maui and the other Neighbor Islands, since direct
flights come into Maui only from North America. Paul Case, HVB's
president, says many of the factors holding down westbound tourism are
beyond the control of business in Hawaii. Nevertheless, he says, "we are
moving aggressively to revitalize the important California market as well
as develop newer Midwest and Eastern markets that can produce
longer-staying visitors."
STATION CHALLENCE -- The excavation phase of a new sewage pump station
being built at Wahikuli Terrace Park has been completed, and workers with
Construction Development Inc. have begun pouring concrete. The $5.8
million Lahaina Wastewater Pump Station No. 3 replacement project is
nearly 40 percent complete, according to project superintendent Patrick
Torres, and should be ready to pump raw sewage north to the Lahaina
Wastewater Reclamation Facility by July. The new pump station will
replace a 20-year-old one that sits on the makai side of Honoapiilani
Highway midway between the Chart House and the Lahaina Civic Center. It
took nearly eight months to excavate 3,200 cubic yards of rock using
heavy machinery and explosives. On Dec. 20, workiers poured 212 cubic
yards of cement to make a 3-foot-thick concrete slab nearly 20 feet below
ground level. Last week, workers had sheet pilings in place and were
preparing to pour the pump station's walls. "I'm at a loss for words at
how tough this was," Torres said. "I'm building a three-story building
underground and underwater." One of the job's most difficult tasks was
keeping near-surface, water-saturated soil at bay while excavating space
for the pump station's subsurface structure. To complicate matters,
workers had to comply with strict federal Clean Water Act standards for
the discharge of water pumped away from the site.
SWAPPING TOILETS -- A Maui County toilet replacement program on Molokai
has reached about a third of its goal of supplying 600 Kaunakakai
residences with free ultra-low-flush toilets. Molokai Plumbing Co. had
replace 197 toilets as of last Friday, and Maui County officials say it
has received applications to switch out another 124 toilets. The
ultra-low-flush toilets are estimated to save residents 15 percent to 30
percent on their water bills. All Molokai residents who are on the
county's wastedwater system are eligible to participate. Department of
Public Works and Waste Management officials hope to reduce the amount of
wastewater coming through the Kaunakakai Wastewater Reclamation Facility.
Reducing demand on the facility would put off the need for a costly
expansion. The new low-flush models can use nearly 22 fewer gallons per
day than conventional toilets, according to county engineer Steve
Parabicoli. The replacement of each toilet, including parts and labor,
cost the county about $265. Nearly $160,000 was set aside by the county
for installation of new toilets and removal and disposal of old ones.
Molokai residents can have the work done free of charge.
HAPPY HOLIDAY -- Wet weather may have helped to make the weekend a
relatively safe New Year's holiday despite relaxed fireworks laws, fire
officials reported. "As a whole for legalizing fireworks, it went well,"
Assistant Fire Chief Conrad Ventura said Monday. "Thank God for the
rain." Ventura said that while there were a few minor brush fires, the
weekend was uneventful and filled with routine calls. A new state law
superceded county code that had outlawed firecrackers in Maui County.
Fireworks sales at stores and nonprofit booths were heavy. Organizers of
First Night Maui said 7,500 to 8,000 attended the second annual New Year's
Eve event at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. First-year estimates were
6,000 to 6,500 people. "It went fantastic. It was unbelievable," said
organizer Christopher Stark. "Even with the rain the day before it was
still packed... it was an all-around good time." Stark said about 500
people were in the parade from Kaahumanu Center - where children's
activities took place - to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. He said the
alcohol-free event is having a positive effect in the community, not only
on those who attend the celebration but in making others recognize they
don't need booze to have a good time.
PARK ASSESSMENT -- A park assessment ordinance that has been criticized as
a "land developers' bill" found a lot of friends on the Maui County
Council Wednesday as it easily passed second and final reading.
Meanwhile, Mayor Linda Crockett Lingle apparently is reconsidering her
promise to veto the bill made in a letter sent to council members last
week. This morning, Lingle said she was not sure if she would go through
with the veto. "I'm going to read the final version before I make may
decision," said the mayor. While not clearly stating a reason for her
change of heart, Lingle alluded to Wednesday's 7-2 council vote in support
of the bill. The council would need to muster only six votes to override
any veto. Only Wayne Nishiki and Tom Morrow voted against the bill. The
point of contention in the bill centers around who will determine the
method of payment - land or cash - in which the park assessments will be
made. The current language, the administration claims, is ambiguous and
needs to clarified. So the original proposal, supported by Lingle,
contained a clause that would have delegated the power to a trio of county
officials: the directors of parks and recreation, public works and
planning. But last month, during the bill's first reading, Upcountry
Council Member Bob Monden amended the measure to give that authority to
developers. Monden explained he was sticking up for small landowners or
farmers who simply want to split up their property among family members.
Even though the current County Code allows exemption for subdivisions of
three lots or less, a majority of Monden's colleagues saw things his way
and approved his amendment.
1995 The Year In Review - The Top 10 Stories In The News
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>From Sharon Westfall
As years go, 1995 was a relatively quiet one for Maui County in terms of
news: no mudslinging elections to dessect and analyze, no single
controversy that dominated the county's political and community life as in
years past. To be sure, there were event s and issues that got people hot
and bothered - particularly a proposal to ban alcohol in county parks that
eventually was watered down to a nighttime curfew on booze. And speaking
of hot, everyone was talking about the weather, whew! How hot was it in
1995? Hot enough to be one of the warmest years on record. Unfortuately,
events of violence and tragedy always seem to make these year-in-review
lists, and 1995 was no different. State public safety and Maui Community
Correctional Center officials came under intense heat from citizens when
an inmate failed to return from a job-search pass and allegedly kidnapped
a Wailuku woman and her daughter. A handful of murders grabbed headlines
and shocked residents, while some segments of island life began to u
nravel at the cold hands of "ice" - a scourge that undoubtedly will
continue to plague us well into the new year. On the upside, a man called
Damien reminded us of the power of one, and native Hawaiians showed there
are strength in numbers - lessons we can carry with us throughout 1996.
Here are the Top 10 stories of 1995, as selected by the editorial
department of The Maui News.
DRINKING IN THE COUNTY'S PARKS - The great debate over banning alcohol in
county parks raged for most of the year. But, in the end, the fizzle in
the proposal went a bit flat. It started with a Lingle administration
bill that banned alcohol at four park s around the island. Another
proposal outlawed liquor at all the parks during certain hours. The hours
were left blank. A three-member majority of the Maui County Council Parks
and Recreation Committee - Alan Arakawa, Sol Kaho'ohalahala and Wayne
Nishi ki - decided to float a total ban at all parks. That's when the
debate went into full gear. Several hearings dres large crowds and
passionate speeches on both sides. The Maui News even got into the act
when it posed to its readers the question: Do you think drinking should be
restricted in county parks? The result was the largest response ever to
The Maui News Speak Out Hotline, with 123 opposed and 44 in favor. After
months of delays, research, lobbying, debate, speeches and compromise, the
full council ended up backing down on both the total ban and the regional
park ban. The final version of the bill made it illegal to consume liquor
from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. in any park, except for those on Molokai. The
mayor signed it into law.
TROUBLE AT THE JAIL - Problems at Maui's jail - highlighted in last year's
list of top news stories - continued in 1995, most notably with the escape
of an inmate suspected of kidnapping a woman and her 12-year-old daughter
and raping the girl. James Edwards Mills, known on Maui as Shane Stewart,
did not return to the Maui Community Correctional Center from a four-hour
job search pass March 9 and allegedly kidnapped the two females later that
day before fleeing the island. He was arrested a few days lat er in
California after attempting to carjack a mother and her 3-year-old
daughter. Jail officials said they were unaware that Mills' record
included a prior escape from a facility on the Mainland. The incident
sparked a public outcry. A citizens task f orce was formed to look at
jail policies and the handling of the escape by police. A final report on
its findings is now being prepared. The incident led to an effort to
improve procedures for informing police and the public in the event of an
escape. There was also a murder at the jail in 1995. On May 5,
60-year-old Soso Nakasone was beaten to death while confined at the Maui
Community Correctional Center. Brysen Peralta, 20, who was sharing a cell
with the victim, was charged with first-degree murder and has not gone to
trial yet. There were questions about why Nakasone, who was awaiting
trial, was placed with a sentenced inmate, and why Peralta was sharing a
cell despite guard observations that he had been behaving erratically.
Jail officias con tended it is not unusual to mix inmates on a short-term
basis because of crowded conditions.
FATHER DAMIEN COMES HOME - He died more than 100 years ago, but last
summer Father Damien de Veuster seemed more alive than ever. The selfless
priest who volunteered to minister to Hawaii's early leprosy patients on
the Kalaupapa peninula in 1873 was bea tified in lavish ceremonies in his
native Belgium by Pope John Paul II, kicking off two months of
celebrations all over Hawaii. It was not only the elevation of Damien's
title to "Blessed Damien" that caused such a spiritual outpouring in
services from Honolulu to Hana, but also the return of his physical
presence. In 1936, against the wishes of the patients, Damien's body was
dug up and sent back to Belgium. During the beatification Mass in June,
the pope presented to Hawaii the bones of Damien's righ t hand. While the
gesture seemed inadequate to many and bizarre to others, the few remaining
patients of Kalaupapa were overwhelmed with emotion as their makua
(father) came home. There was no more touching sight than when the bones,
wrapped in royal kapa and encased in koa, were presented in St. Philomena
Church, the church that Damien twice rebuilt. Seven patients - Kenso
Seki, Ed Kato, Nellie McCarthy, Bernard Punikaia, Richard Marks and Paul
and Winnie Harada - joined Honolulu Bishop Francis X. DeLorenzo in a Mass
outside St.Philomena that culminated in the reburial of the bones in
Damien's original grave. As the tomb was sealed, there was no sadness.
The spirit of Blessed Damien was alive and well in everyone present.
KING KEKAULIKE HIGH SCHOOL OPENS - After years of lobbying and an
11th-hour construction rush, Maui's first public high school in two
decades opened in September 1995. Phase I of King Kekaulike High School
was completed only hours before students arrived for the first day of
classes Sept. 1. Even then, as students were touring the Upcountry
campus, construction workers were seen putting the finishing touches on
the $21 million project. There were fears whether the school would open
on time, with two dea dlines having passed, Delays were blamed on late
deliveries of materials from the Mainland and a couple of snags during
initial inspections. On that first day, the new school welcomed 375
freshmen. More classes will be added as construction continues on other
phases of the campus. Educators and community leaders on Maui lobbied
many years for the school, saying it was needed to relieve overcrowding at
Baldwin and Maui High School in Central Maui. The new school also made
for changes at other places, ma inly the transfer of Lokelani Intermediate
graduates in Kihei to Maui High, instead of Baldwin. All students from
Maui Waena Intermediate in Kahului were moved to Maui High, rather than
being split between Maui High and Baldwin.
HOW HOT WAS IT? - Many Mauians who've been enduring summer-like
temperatures this winter are wondering if 1995 has been one of the hottest
years on record. Well, yes. While National Weather Service meteorologist
Andy Stasiowski says 1995 has been "nothing spectacular," it was the fifth
warmenst on record in the last 30 years. Maui's average temperature this
year was 76.6 degrees, while its normal average mercury reading is 75.5
degrees. Some of the island's hottest weather has been toward the end of
the year. October's temperatures were 1.9 degrees above normal, and
November's exceeded the average by 2.2 degrees. October was the third
warmenst for that month on record, and November was the second hottest.
Stasiowski says Maui's also had a dry year, the eighth driest on record.
As of Dec. 25, the island had recorded 13.33 inches of rain, 36 percent
below normal rainfall levels. Every month this year, except January, had
above-average temperatures. (January was just a tenth of a degree below
normal.) Day and night temperature readings have been tied or exceeded 52
times over the year, he says. The last time Maui had warmer weather was
in 1984, which was the second hottest year on record. The warm weather
hasn't been bad news for everyone. Mike Nobriga, vice president of sales
and marketing for Maui Soda & Ice Works, says the heat hasn't hurt
business. "We've been going through a very positive volume trend this
year," he says. "The weather assists greatly."
FIVE MURDERS COMMITTED IN '95 - There were five murders in Maui County in
1995, including a double homicide in Omaopio, a jail killing and the death
of a Kahului woman found in a sugar cane field in Spreckelsville. Police
have charged two suspects in two of the deaths and have a prime suspect in
the double killings, while the cane field murder remains unsolved. On May
5, 60-year-old Soso Nakasone was beaten to death at the Maui Community
Correctional Center. His cellmate, Brysen Peralta, 20, was charged with
first-degree murder and is awaiting trial. Kihei resident Vilmar
Cabaccang, 23, was stabbed to death July 14 after he reportedly chased
down a man rummaging through his car. Taryn Christian, 19, of Kula, was
charged with second-degree murder in that case and is awaiting trial.
Cabaccang, a fish cutter at Sack N Save and car enthusiast, had many
friends on Maui, and his car club buddies organized a rally in his memory
that attracted statewide attention. Police continue to investigate the
murder of a Kahului woman found dead of a gunshot wound in a
Spreckelsville sugar cane field Sept. 22. Sherrie Trudy Abihai Piano, 21,
was shot in the head shortly after being seen by friends in the Kahului
area. On Dec. 1, a man and woman were found slain at an Omaopio Road
home. There were identified as James Cariotti, 47, and Betty Ballard, 40.
A 45-year-old Haiku man, Charles Apuna Jr., remains a suspect in the case
but has not yet been charged with murder. He is in custody charged with
crimes related to the drugs and guns police allegedly found in his
possession when he as arrested at the Maui Beach Hotel. The 1995 murder
toll is one less than the six murders that occurred in the county in 1994.
HAWAIIANS PROTECT SACRED SITES - Fed up with the desecration of places
they consider sacred, Native Hawaiians asserted themselves in two
high-profile cases this year to fight what they viewed as separate
affronts to their culture. The Friends of Moku'ula brought to
Malu-ulu-o-Lele Park in Lahaina, where a recent study showed that it is
home to an important archaelogical site containing the burials of Native
Hawaiians. The problem is that part of the ancient subterranean island of
Moku'ula extends into the park's makai ball field. The friends group, let
by Akoni Akana, insisted that the county acknowledge the importance of
Moku'ula and stop the activity over the island. They began negotiating
with county officials but were rebuffed by the administration. The
parties were at loggerheads for several weeks until Mayor Linda Crockett
Lingle agreed to meet with representatives of the group. A compromise now
appears to be in the works. In Iao Valley, a T-shirt vendor claiming a
First Amendment right to spread his "message" riled people unaccustomed
to commercialism in the scenic spot. Most of all, it rankled Native
Hawaiians who consider the valley sacred. Led by Charlie Kauluwehi
Maxwell Sr., the Native Hawaiians held protests and generally made life
miserable for the T-shirt seller. During a meeting between the vendor and
Native Hawaiian representatives, the vendor agreed to go somewhere else.
IMPACT OF ICE FELT IN COUNTY - The use of crystal methamphetamine in Maui
County drew increasing concern in 1995. The impact of "ice" was felt in
many areas, from increasing property crime and voilent crime to trouble at
schools and in homes. According to Maui Police Department records, there
were 37.4 grams of the drug seized in 1993. In the federal fiscal year
that ended Sept. 30 of this year, the latest recording period available,
the amount of the drug seized had risen to 6.5 pounds. Crystal meth was
also implicated in serveral traffic deaths, including the June 6 tragedy
at Stella Blues cafe in Kihei in which a California woman was killed when
a Jeep jumped a curb and plowed throught the restaurant. Capt. Paul
Winters of the department's Vice Division blames the drug's highly
addictive nature for the explosion in use of crystal meth, which he says
has escalated much faster than any of the drug waves of the past. The
community was called to action in 1995, with public forums held on Molokai
and Maui to educate the public about the drug and try to find ways to
reduce its use.
FACE OF RETAILING CHANGES - It was the year of the "big box retailer" on
Maui. Most of the big national retailing chains have been absent from
Maui, a situation that began to change when Kmart opened in 1993. In May
1995, Costco opened, and the Maui Marketplace at Maui Business Park, just
down the road, announced plans to bring in four more big boxers: Eagle,
Border's, Sports Authority and Office Max. However, A&B Properties
revealed that the biggest of them all, WalMart, had dropped discussions to
locate at the site of Kahului Shopping Center, which will continue as is.
It was Maui's first shopping center. A&B's plans to create a factory
outlet mall went awry for lack of an anchor tenant, and the building is
being marketed to local businesses. Local businesses were, with some
exceptings, finding the combination of big box competition and generally
slack economy tough going. Some, such as Ikeda's, a landmark for more
than half a centurey, closed. Others went through severe adaptions to
meet new times. The notable example was BFS Inc., which shrank its Ben
Franklin craft outlest while simutaneously expanding its Ace Hardware
stores. On the other had, Mainland chains also had their problems, not
necessarily originating on Maui but relected here. PayLess failed and its
space was taken over by Marshall's.
GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS FOR RESORTS - As the big resorts go, so goes the
Maui County economy. Adn throughout 1995, the were going in two
directions at once. Occupancy rates were the best in years, with
Kaanapali exceeding 80 percent in the better months (with an assist from
the closure of the Sheraton-Maui for rebuilding). And average room rates
also climbed steadily through the year, although they are not as high as
they were (adjusted for inflation) in the peak period around 1989. On the
other hand, almost all resorts on Maui and thrughout the state struggled
under unbearable loads of debt assumed in high-flying taeovers in the late
'80s. Japanese lenders were reported ready to take their losses by
shedding ownership, but none did so on Maui during the year. The Kapalua
Bay Hotel was on the market all year, without finding new investment
money, and in December it sought bankruptcy protection from creditors, as
did the smaller Plantation Inn. The Ritz-Carlton Kapalua reorganized to
ease debt. And Hotel Hana-Maui and Hana Ranch, operating at a loss, were
in negotiations to bring in new owners, which had not been closed by
year's end. Hotels with ILWU contracts were cought up on labor
negotioations that have run far past the expected completion date, with no
end in sight. Through it all, every resort kept operating (which was not
true elsewhere in the state) and at levels of service that helped Maui win
the accolade "Best Tropical Island" two years running from Conde Nast
Traveler magazine.
==============================================================
The above stories from the Maui News were *lovingly* (yeah, right.. sore
fingers!) typed by me, to you, because, Maui is a special place and I know
there are many of folks out there who may have some ties here (or want
some ties here) and keeping up with the news will help keep them strong.
The Maui News Top 10 stories are special to me, because this was the
*first* attempt I did, last year... sending the 1994 Maui News Top 10
from The Daily Planet BBS to alt.culture.hawaii. I had a lot of good
feedback, that encouraged me to continue this (now still going, one year
later!)
Now I'm also sending this to Rabbett Abbett's Web Page, Ryan Ozawa's
mailing list, and (my personal favorite...) soc.culture.hawaii!!!
If you have Internet newsgroup access, please come drop in and say "hi" at
alt.culture.hawaii (unmoderated), and soc.culture.hawaii (moderated). We
have good fun, talking story and reminiscing about ono kine food, and
small kid time, and talking pidgin. Former islanders, be careful... might
make you homesick!!!
Just a reminder, the Maui News does have it's own web page:
http://www.maui.net.~mauinews/news.html
The stories are updated daily, so check them out and tell Richard Allen
I'm still chugging (typing) along... :-)
Thanks for all the words of encouragement this past year. I hope to
continue this for as long as I'm able (and as long as the Maui News says
ok...).
From The Maui News - Friday, January 12, 1996
The Maui News, Friday, January 5, 1996
The Maui News - Monday, January 1, 1996
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