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Archive for September, 2006
Akaka, Hirono win key primary battles
Sep 25th
The usually subdued primary election season was a nail-biter this year, as several contests — most within the Democratic party — came to a head on Saturday. Sen. Daniel Akaka successfully fended off a strong challenge from the younger, more moderate Rep. Ed Case, 54 percent to 45 percent. The 20,000 vote difference is still the closest call the senior senator has faced in his 30 years in Washington. As for the Republicans, voters picked former P.O.W. Jerry Coffee, even though he withdrew from the race for health reasons. Gov. Linda Lingle now has until Tuesday to appoint his replacement on the November ballot.
Of the ten Democrats vying to replace Case in the U.S. House, former gubernatorial candidate Mazie Hirono won out, but by a slim one percent margin over Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. On the Republican side, former television sportscaster Bob Hogue beat former lawmaker Quentin Kawananakoa, despite Kawananakoa’s six-to-one fundraising advantage.
In the race for Hawaii governor, Lingle’s victory on the Republican ticket was never in doubt, nor was that of Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona. Democrats, meanwhile, chose former state senator Randy Iwase over Waianae harbormaster William Aila to challenge Lingle, and former state senator Malama Solomon to take on Aiona.
Many political pundits were watching the State House District 28 race, where incumbent Rep. Beverly Harbin was fighting to keep her seat. She was appointed mid-term by Lingle, a controversial move that Lingle later regretted as her tax and criminal record came under scrutiny. Voters soundly ejected her on Saturday, choosing relative newcomer Karl Rhoads for the Democratic ballot. Rhoads will face Republican Collin Wong, who notably also received more votes than Harbin in the primary.
Full results from the primary election can be found at the state Office of Elections website.
“Dog” arrested for fleeing Mexico
Sep 15th
Duane “Dog” Chapman is known worldwide for catching criminals who skip out on bail, but jumping bail in Mexico three years ago has now landed the bounty hunter behind bars. Chapman, whose larger-than-life personality is the heart of a popular reality TV series, was picked up by federal marshalls yesterday as government officials responded to an extradition request from Mexican authorities. Chapman’s son Leland and colleague Tim Chapman were also arrested. In 2003, Duane Chapman led a group of bounty hunters and a camera crew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to hunt down convicted rapist Andrew Luster, who had evaded U.S. law enforcement for over six months. They captured Luster, who was eventually sentenced to 124 years in jail. But bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, and Chapman and his crew were arrested for kidnapping. They posted $1,500 bail each, but then left the country. International fame and TV series followed, but Mexican authorities have apparently not forgotten the case. Yesterday, prosecutors argued that the men should be held without bail until their extradition hearing, since the case is international. Chapman’s attorney noted, however, that Chapman has a very high profile and strong ties to the community, and would not flee. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren seemed to concur, but held off deciding on bail until a hearing this afternoon.
“Dog” arrested for fleeing Mexico
Sep 15th
Duane “Dog” Chapman is known worldwide for catching criminals who skip out on bail, but jumping bail in Mexico three years ago has now landed the bounty hunter behind bars. Chapman, whose larger-than-life personality is the heart of a popular reality TV series, was picked up by federal marshalls yesterday as government officials responded to an extradition request from Mexican authorities. Chapman’s son Leland and colleague Tim Chapman were also arrested. In 2003, Duane Chapman led a group of bounty hunters and a camera crew to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to hunt down convicted rapist Andrew Luster, who had evaded U.S. law enforcement for over six months. They captured Luster, who was eventually sentenced to 124 years in jail. But bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, and Chapman and his crew were arrested for kidnapping. They posted $1,500 bail each, but then left the country. International fame and TV series followed, but Mexican authorities have apparently not forgotten the case. Yesterday, prosecutors argued that the men should be held without bail until their extradition hearing, since the case is international. Chapman’s attorney noted, however, that Chapman has a very high profile and strong ties to the community, and would not flee. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Kurren seemed to concur, but held off deciding on bail until a hearing this afternoon.
Waikīkī Beach lands spot on Monopoly board
Sep 15th
Waikīkī Beach is one of the new squares in an modern version of the Monopoly board game, where the 22 national landmarks and their positions on the new board were chosen via an online poll. In Monopoly Here & Now, the prices have also been updated: Waikīkī Beach will now cost you $2.2 million, rather than $220, which is what the spot cost as Indiana Avenue. Landing on the space will cost you at least $180,000, or $10.5 million if there’s a hotel. Honolulu’s neighbors on the board are Disneyworld in Orlando and Camelback Mountain in Phoenix. Two other Hawai‘i locations were in the running — Kalākaua Avenue and Diamond Head — but Waikīkī Beach prevailed at the polls. Game maker Hasbro says over three million votes were cast this spring, and some cities took the contest more seriously than others. Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon launched an e-mail campaign to encourage people to vote, and the city is now crowing about its success in leapfrogging over other locations and coming out ahead of cities like Atlanta, Denver, Houston, and St. Louis. Top spot Boardwalk has become New York City’s Times Square… much to the chagrin of Atlantic City residents.
Waikīkī crime down
Sep 15th
Thefts and robberies in Hawaii’s busiest tourist district are down sharply this year, and may perhaps drop as much as 40 percent compared to 2002. According to a report in the latest Pacific Business News, statistics from the Honolulu Police Department’s Waikīkī district show a total of 851 visitor-related property crimes so far this year, and law enforcement anticipate the final number to fall short of 1,200. There were nearly 2,000 visitor-related property crimes reported in 2002. The story also notes that car break-ins have fallen from nearly 200 in one month in 2002 to an average or 40 to 60 today. Police officials attribute much of the decrease to a stronger police presence in Waikīkī, with as many as 70 officers patrolling the area through a given day. Waikiki Improvement Association president Rick Egged, however, told Pacific Business News that the strong economy has a lot to do with it as well. “Basically anybody in Hawaii who wants a job can get one,” he said. “This affects the person who might be a casual thief.” Better cooperation among private hotel and store security firms and law enforcement has also been cited. The drop in crime in Waikīkī echoes Hawaii’s overall declining crime trends, and is good news as the visitor industry continues to see record numbers of visitors and rising visitor spending.
Hawaii residents may live longest
Sep 11th
Lucky you live Hawaii. The life expectancy in the islands is 80 years, according to a new Harvard University study, the highest in the nation. Researchers noted, however, that Hawaii’s advantage is partly statistical, due to its small size and small number of counties. Other “healthy states” include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Vermont and Washington, all with a combined male and female life expectancy topping 78 years. The study looked at population density, race, income, and murder rates across the country, and found location may have more to do with how long you live than previously thought. For example, while race and income have frequently been cited as a major factor in predicting lifespans, people within the same racial or economic group had widely varying life expectancies in different states or cities. While Hawaii came out on top, Washington D.C. ranked last, with a life expectancy of 72 years.
Hawaii second most popular state
Sep 6th
Hawaii has been ranked as the second most popular state in which Americans would like to live, and Honolulu came in as the eighth most popular city, according to results from the latest Harris Poll released today. The company surveyed over 3,600 U.S. adults in early August and asked where they would choose to live if they could live in any city or state besides their own. California retained the top spot, but Hawaii leapfrogged over Florida to take second place. North Carolina and Texas rounded out the top five. When the question focused on cities, Honolulu ranked sixth, ahead of Denver and Atlanta but behind Las Vegas, improving from eighth place in last year’s poll. New York City has come in first every year since 1999. Hawaii has ranked in the top ten for nearly a decade; Honolulu only broke into the top ten in 2003.
Bridge accident clogs roads for hours
Sep 6th
An early afternoon accident in which a military vehicle damaged a bridge on the H-1 freeway led to hours of near gridlock in urban Honolulu yesterday. State transportation officials and residents alike called it the island’s worst traffic jam ever. The trouble began when an Army excavator being towed from Pearl Harbor to Schofield Barracks struck a pedestrian bridge over the H-1 in Aiea, between the Aiea Heights Drive and Kaamilo St. overpasses. The impact shattered the concrete structure and snapped steel support cables within, prompting state officials to deem it unsafe and to close down all westbound lanes of the freeway. Cars packed onto surface streets, the state extending green lights on Kamehameha Highway in an attempt to relieve the pressure. Commuters spent up to six hours in traffic, some circling around the island to avoid the mess, while others abandoned their cars to walk home. Bus riders reported emergency bathroom breaks that involved roadside shrubbery, and hotels welcomed dozens of downtown workers who decided against trying to get home at all. Nimitz Highway was still backed up at 2 a.m. Demolition crews worked overnight to remove the bridge span before this morning’s rush hour.
‘LOST’ actor arrested in Waikiki
Sep 5th
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who plays Mr. Eko on ABC’s filmed-in-Hawaii primetime hit series “Lost,” was arrested early Saturday morning for driving without a license and disobeying a police officer. The 39-year-old London-born actor was stopped for a traffic violation at 2:25 a.m. near Kanekapolei St. and Kuhio Ave. He spent about six hours in jail before posting $1,000 bail. He has been scheduled for a Sept. 26 District Court appearance. Akinnuoye-Agbaje is the third “Lost” cast member to be arrested for traffic violations in Hawaii, but several of his colleagues have at least received citations, as recounted by the Star-Bulletin. Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros pled guilty following drunk driving arrests in November 2004, and their characters were subsequently killed off in “Lost.” The show’s creators maintain, however, that their DUI arrests had nothing to do with their characters’ fates.
‘LOST’ actor arrested in Waikiki
Sep 5th
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who plays Mr. Eko on ABC’s filmed-in-Hawaii primetime hit series “Lost,” was arrested early Saturday morning for driving without a license and disobeying a police officer. The 39-year-old London-born actor was stopped for a traffic violation at 2:25 a.m. near Kanekapolei St. and Kuhio Ave. He spent about six hours in jail before posting $1,000 bail. He has been scheduled for a Sept. 26 District Court appearance. Akinnuoye-Agbaje is the third “Lost” cast member to be arrested for traffic violations in Hawaii, but several of his colleagues have at least received citations, as recounted by the Star-Bulletin. Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros pled guilty following drunk driving arrests in November 2004, and their characters were subsequently killed off in “Lost.” The show’s creators maintain, however, that their DUI arrests had nothing to do with their characters’ fates.
