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The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 1

Location:
Honolulu, Hawaii
Issue Date:
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1
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

mm mm ir a I More Hawaii news inside: I Editorials A6 The Honolulu Advertiser Thursday, December 24, 1987 A-3 C14 Isbell jumps to Dems; Kamali'i leaves GOP 7 "kh t-i -vr rv v'X -J Advertiser photo by Gregory Yamamoto "Sad Sam" Ichinose watches firefighters as his house burns in the background. By William Kresnak Aaverther Government Bureau Big Island Republican Rep. Virginia Isbell, citing the wishes of her constituents and a desire to be part of a "dynamic" new Democratic leadership, declared yesterday she is switching to the Democratic Party. "I've been thinking about this for a long time," said Isbell, flanked by Democratic state House leaders and Lt. Gov.

Ben Cayetano at a news conference at the Capitol. Isbell, 55, denied she was jumping parties because she was passed over to fill the state Senate seat that opened up when Big Island Republican Richard Henderson resigned. Isbell actively sought the appointment, but Democratic Gov. John Waihee last week named Republican Big Island Councilman Robert Herkes to the seat. "Perhaps a little nudge was there.

I was disappointed, of course," Isbell said. But she said many constituents and supporters have asked her to switch parties, believing she could do more for her district and the state as one of the majority Democrats. Also, Isbell said she's "been really impressed" over the past year with the new state administration and new leadership in the state House, which have "innovative" ideas for meeting the needs of Hawaii's people, such as developing the Honolulu waterfront. Isbell said she has been frustrated by a lack of strong leadership in the GOP "for a long time." "The fact that this (Democratic) leadership is so dynamic was the main reason" for the switch, she said. Isbell, who represents the 5th House District (Kona-S.

Kona), has been a Republican Party member for more than 13 years. The Montana-born mother of five lost two bids for the Legislature and another for the lieutenant governor's post before earning the West Hawaii House seat in 1980. She will remain in the House through the rest of her term and keep her seat on the Finance and natural resources-related committees. Isbell said she doesn't believe her action can be compared to the 1985 switch of three veteran Honolulu City Council Democrats to the GOP. "My constituents from the bottom up have asked me about changing," she said.

Besides, she said, anyone unhappy with her switch has the opportunity to vote her out of office next year. Then-Councilmen Toraki Matsumoto, George Akahane and Rudy Pacarro were sharply criticized when they bolted to the GOP two years ago and then seized control of the City Council. That coup was engineered by then-city Managing Director D.G. "Andy" Anderson, a long-time GO-Pofficial, and Mayor Frank Fasi, himself a longtime Democrat who jumped to the GOP. Angry Democratic Party leaders led a campaign that resulted in the recall ouster of the three men later in 1985.

During the recall campaign, then Oahu Democratic Party Chairman Jack Richardson said the three councilmen "violated a sacred trust" by switching parties in mid-term." "It is important to let their constituents decide (whether they should remain in office)," Richardson said at the time. "There's an important distinction to be made between switching parties in mid-term and doing the honorable thing in let- 'Sad Sam' Ichinose unhurt after fire sweeps his home Advertiser photo by Charles Okamura Rep. Isbell at a news conference yesterday. ting voters know before they choose." Richardson, who has since become state party chairman, said yesterday he was sure Isbell "thought hard" about her switch and the ramifications before making her decision. "Once she has made it, we will treat everyone equally and fairly," he said.

"The Democratic Party is an open party and anyone is free to join." Richardson called Isbell's switch "sensitive," but said the West Hawaii lawmaker approached the Democratic Party to join, "unlike 1985 when people approached the three councilmen." Cayetano said he never agreed with the 1985 recall and doesn't see switching parties "as any kind of breach of some moral standard." House Majority Leader Tom Okamura said he supported the recall movement, and Isbell's party switch "is a problem for the concern of the Republican Party." Long-time Republican Kina'u Kamali'i also announced she was dropping out of the GOP because it "lacks leadership at all levels." The timing, she said, "intentionally coincides" with Isbell's announcement. Kamali'i, a former state legislator who was appointed by Waihee to head the State Health Planning and Development Agency about a year ago, said she first became active in the GOP when she joined the Young Republicans in 1952. Howard Chong, state Republican Party chairman, said he was disappointed Isbell switched parties. But he said it was "kind of complimentary" that the Democrats, who now hold 41 seats in the 51-member House, "had to come down to our little caucus to get talent." He called Kamali'i's remarks "political rhetoric that's part of the circus they've arranged for today." By Rick Carroll Advertiur Staff Writer Former boxing promoter Samuel "Sad Sam" Ichinose fled unhurt with his son and teenage grandson after a $200,000 fire swept the top floor of his split-level Kaimuki home yesterday. The fire, blamed on a forgotten clothes iron, gutted a bedroom of his Highview Place home and destroyed its contents.

The 80-year-old Ichinose escaped with his son, Lawrence, 43; and 17-year-old grandson, Samson. "We all got out," Ichinose said. "Fortunately, nobody was hurt." Cause of the blaze was "an unattended clothes iron," a Honolulu Fire Department spokesman said. The fire, which broke out at 10:14 a.m. in a third-floor bedroom, went undetected by Ichinose until a neighbor pounded on his door.

Ichinose, who had just taken his wife, Cathy, to the beauty parlor, was in his second-floor living room, about to go out for some last-minute Christmas shopping. "I didn't know what he was talking about," Ichinose said. "Fire? Oh, my God!" He ran to the kitchen. my neighbor said, Upstairs, flames engulfed the bedroom. "Let's get out of here," Ichinose yelled to his son and grandson and they ran into the street even as the fire trucks, alerted by neighbors, arrived at the scene.

Twenty-two firemen from Kaimuki Station responded with three engines and a ladder company. Kaimuki Fire Capt. Garrett Wong said the blaze, knocked down in 15 minutes, was not out until 12:23 p.m. "They did a good job," said Ichinose, praising firemen and his alert neighbors. Although homeless, Ichinose was joyful.

"We're lucky," he said. "I'm happy everything is all right and nobody got hurt." A former member of the Territorial House of Representatives, Ichinose owned Sad Sam's Bar on Hotel Street during World War II. He promoted more than 400 boxing matches in Hawaii, Tokyo, Indonesia and Europe for five decades until his retirement in 1980. Model school for native Hawaiians urged for Nanakuli English and math at Nanakuli last year. "When education is culturally relevant, students learn more and faster and they are happier in the process." He said the program would help improve the quality of education for many now-troubled Waianae Coast youngsters.

Dudley said Nanakuli is a "Polynesian school," with 70 to 80 percent of the student population Hawaiian and the remainder "primarily Samoan." Eventually the program which would be open to Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians could also be extended to Waianae and Campbell high schools, which have smaller but substantial per-, centages of Hawaiian students, he said. As Dudley foresees, the model school program would offer students core sub jects such as reading, writing and math and elective courses offered at other secondary schools. In addition, the curriculum would include another 13 to 15 electives in Hawaiian studies, including ancient Hawaiian culture and arts and crafts, geography, astronomy and navigation, plants and animal3 of Hawaii, choral music, ukulele, hula and chant. The program would also use Hawaiian literature in the English curriculum. And if possible, "every student in the entire school" would be taught the Hawaiian language, Dudley said.

He said the program is an attempt to preserve the Hawaiian culture. "We have no classes that teach from the Hawaiian world view and thought context. We give our Hawaiian students textbooks with stories about life in the By Donna Reyes iSdcerthcr Education Writer Nanakuli High and Intermediate School should be transformed into a model school for native Hawaiians to preserve the Hawaiian culture and to help students "learn more and faster," a Board of Education committee was told yesterday. Michael "Kioni" Dudley, a Campbell High School English teacher whose specialty is Hawaiian studies, made the proposal on behalf of several Nanakuli teachers and parents at a meeting of the board's Hawaiian Education Affairs Committee. "Our hope is that Nanakuli High becomes the model school for teaching things from within the Hawaiian cultural context," said Dudley, who taught barrio or the ghetto on the Mainland, and ignore their own great legends, poetry and epic chants.

"We teach history from the haole view of what is important and of what happened, misunderstanding the meanings of many Hawaiian practices and thus the motivations behind many Hawaiian events," said Dudley, who is Caucasian. He said, "We are anxious to graduate students who will become doctors, lawyers, educators, political leaders and business executives. But we want them to approach life in a Hawaiian way, as Hawaiians." Department of Education Superintendent Charles Toguchi said more information is needed, but "the concept of a model school is an important topic, and we're willing to look at it. If there's support and interest (from the community and parents), we have the potential for an outstanding program." Betty Ellis Jenkins, a retired DOE teacher and community kupuna coordinator for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, praised the proposal program. "It's an immersion program.

It's a living thing that will change the attitudes and behavior of Hawaiian students Most Hawaiians do not feel comfortable in a school setting." Also at yesterday's meeting, a DOE official told the committee there is a shortage of "kupuna" senior citizens teach more than 19,000 public school students, mainly fifth- and sixth-graders in the kupuna Hawaiian Studies Program. Students give for Christmas Maemae Elementary sends money, cards to IHS par School 3- AnD.rd' mo net i jnrri "Hip, sf rm 3- Four years ago, that first-grade class, taught by Anne Miller, collected $26.28 for IHS. It began with a nickel found on the classroom floor. No one claimed the coin and it became the first contribution into a fund for those in need. Last year, Maemae students shared $230 with IHS and this year the fund grew to some $360.

The older children at Maemae remember the IHS fund each Christmas now and enjoy giving, Miller said. The handwritten, heartfelt notes have also become a tradition. Some of the cards written by the students glowed with their thoughts: "We gave the money to the homeless people. Christmas is going to be wonderful this year," wrote Remi Ogawa. Both Robyn and Cydelle encircled their words with hearts of many hues.

Jeffrey added extraterrestrials chortling "Ho Ho Ho." Tiffanie drew an ice cream cone and Christmas tree as extra treats on her card. Kimm drew presents under the tree on her card. "All of us cared," she jAA Du Teil. By Anne Harpham Aarertiter Religion Writer Every Christmas at Maemae Elementary School, children who know they will have presents under the tree learn something about giving to strangers in need. And they do more than collect nickels and dimes, some giving up allowance or juice money.

They also write and draw personal Christmas cards with their own hopes for the homeless who find shelter at the Institute for Human Services. "We collected money for the street people because we wanted to help them," wrote Matt Ma-tsunaga in Room 6. "Another reason is because Maemae is a nice school," Matt added in his card addressed to the Rev. Claude Du Teil, who runs IHS. It's a special tradition that has grown from a spontaneous gesture by a first-grade class at Maemae in 1983 to an effort that now includes other classes.

One of the lefters from the children at Maemae Elementary School..

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Pages Available:
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Years Available:
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