It is the policy of West Hawaii Today to correct promptly any incorrect or misleading information when it is brought to the attention of the newspaper.
Police seek four on bench warrants
Big Island police are searching for two men and two women wanted on bench warrants for failure to appear in court.
Brittany Milam, 29, of Hilo is described as 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 115 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes, according to the Hawaii Police Department.
Ikaikamakani Viernes, 31, of Mountain View is described as 6 feet tall, weighing 220 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, according to police.
Richard Correa, 49, of Hilo is described as 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing 205 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, according to police.
Tasha Gardner, 30, of Hilo is described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing 104 pounds with black hair and brown eyes, according to police.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts should call the department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311. Those who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 329-8181 in Kona or 961-8300 in Hilo. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Elder abuse
unit created
The Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney has been awarded a second year of federal grant funding to develop an elder abuse unit.
The unit is tasked with expediting the prosecution of elder abuse and financial exploitation cases and enhancing awareness and prevention of elder abuse through inter-agency collaborations, according to the office.
Between 2000 and 2010, the Big Island’s population of residents age 60 and older increased by 43.5 percent, according to the office, which noted a correlation between an increase in the elder population and an increase in incidents of physical and financial abuse of elders.
Prosecuting Attorney Charlene Iboshi will oversee the unit with Deputy Prosecutor Jack Matsukawa, who has been with the office since 1986. Chad Fukui, a retired police captain, is the unit’s investigator.
Anyone with information concerning elder abuse should call Adult Protective Services at 327-6280 in West Hawaii and 933-8820 in East Hawaii or the police department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311.
Dual bills target
zip line operators
HILO — Big Island representatives are helping to develop legislation to establish more control over Hawaii’s burgeoning zip line industry.
Their efforts, they say, were spurred in part as a reaction to the death this summer of a worker in Paukaa after a zip line platform collapsed.
State Rep. Mark Nakashima, D-Kohala-Hamakua-Hilo, said the time is ripe for legislation on the increasingly popular eco-tourism activity.
HB 2060 would establish standards and regulations for operators of zip lines and canopy tours, and would make those operators obtain annual inspections and permits from the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The bill is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday morning by the House Committee on Economic Revitalization and Business and the Committee on Tourism.
A second bill aimed at regulating ecotourism is scheduled for discussion today at 9 a.m. by the House Committee on Water, Land and Ocean Resources. HB 2812 would establish an ecotourism permit program with operators having to meet guidelines set by the DLNR prior to obtaining a business license.
By local sources
CORRECTION
Pet shop owner
A cutline on Wednesday’s Schools page incorrectly identified the owner of Miranda’s Pets. The owner is Miranda DeWitt.
It is the policy of West Hawaii Today to correct promptly any incorrect or misleading information when it is brought to the attention of the newspaper.