The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 31

fl figmers IJ Mililani WOman 0) 12) is making a difference I B3 II I If -k i v. UkiLJ VVVil CITY EDITOR FERNANDO PIZARRO E-mail: fpizarroHonoluluAdvertiser.com Telephone: 525-8094 MONDAY August 16, 2004 i H0N0LULUADVERTISER.COMlocalnews lacieg tokened for H4 crash SECTION v. HAWAI'I'S ENVIRONMENT By an Tenbruggencate Wreck in Makiki injures driver of third car flees scene BY KAREN BLAKEMAN Advertiser Staff Writer Street racing on the H-l freeway early yesterday resulted in a multivehicle wreck that sent a 20-year-old male driver to the hospital in critical condition and injured a 20-year-old passenger, police said The 19-year-old driver of a second car was not hurt. The driver silver Acura, who was wearing a seat belt, was not injured. A third car, a pinkish-maroon Mitsubishi Lancer, also was racing, and either the Lancer or the black Acura struck the back of a trolley.

Police are asking anyone with information about the Lancer to call Sgt. Patty Heely of the traffic division's vehicular homicide section at 529-3499. A number of O'ahu residents have been killed or seriously injured by street racers in recent years. On Feb. 13, four men were killed in a crash on H-l in Pearl their car was racing with another vehicle before it crashed.

In August 2001, Holy Trinity School teacher Elizabeth Kekoa was killed in a collision on H-l near Kaimukl. Nicholas Tudisco, 21, has been indicted on a manslaughter charge in the case. Tudisco pleaded not guilty, but prosecutors say he admitted that he was racing. The trial is set to begin in November. Reach Karen Blakeman at 535-2430 or kblakemanhonolulu advertiser.com.

of a third car fled the scene and is being sought by police. The wreck, in the westbound lanes of H-l near the Alexander Street on-ramp, happened shortly before 6 a.m. when the driver of a black Acura went onto the shoulder of the highway while trying to overtake a silver Acura. The two cars collided, then slammed into barricades and the median. The driver of the black Acura sustained critical head injuries.

He and his passenger were taken to The Queen's Medical Center. The 19-year-old driver of the City. Two cars that witnesses say were racing slammed into the back of a truck that was clearing debris from the zipper lane on H-l near the Pearl City off-ramp. The crash ignited a fiery blaze. Among the dead was the truck's passenger.

On Dec. 8, 2003, four people were killed and three were injured in a collision that police believe involved racing in Maka-ha. And early Oct. 12, two men were killed when their Honda crossed the center line of Ala Moana and crashed into a sport utility vehicle. Witnesses said MESSAGE TO REIKI: STUDY HARD AND LAUGH DeLIMA'S 4 ai il-tt W- Uo' A i Much of our beach trash not from sea Nearly half of the junk found on Hawaii beaches doesn't drift in on the sea, but is brought there by local beachgoers or washes down storm drains.

percent of Hawa seach trash comes from Hi rather than elsewhere, a little better than the national average of 56 percent, according to the 2003 International Coastal Cleanup report produced by The Ocean Conservancy. The report said 2,453 volunteers scoured 98 miles of Hawai'i's shorelines and stream sides last year, and picked up 125,080 pounds of debris. A stunning 38 percent of the 112,586 individual pieces of trash were smok-ing-related, in the form of cigarette filters, cigar tips and cigarette packages. Volunteers picked up more than 40,000 of them. Presumably a lot of these are from folks who feel it is appropriate to stub out their butts in the beach sand and leave them there, regardless of fact that someone else's baby will be playing in that sand in a few hours or days.

Some of the other popular bits of trash: bottle caps, glass and plastic bottles, cans, bags, food wrappers and containers, and cups, plates and forks. In Hawai'i, as elsewhere, "the highest number of items found consisted of packaging waste from consumable goods," the report said. Again, a lot of that stuff is being brought to the beach by people who use the beach for recreation, and who then leave their trash behind. Another concern is debris that can entangle or injure wildlife, like seals, turtles and birds. In the Islands, nearly 18,000 such items were found.

They include plastic bags, balloons, fishing line and net, plastic sheeting and tarps, rope, six-pack beverage holders, strapping material and syringes. That stuff represented 16 percent of all the debris found in Hawai'i. More than half the trash drifted in from the sea, and a lot of that was identified as being associated with ocean activities like fishing and commercial shipping. There were bait containers, buoys and floats, fishing light sticks, pallets, rope and nets. And a fair amount of stuff was also delivered to the beach by people unwilling to use government or private trash disposal facilities.

The Hawai'i beach cleanups found 10 55-gallon drums, 50 assorted appliances like washers and refrigerators, 235 tires and 447 batteries. If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766, e-mail janthonoluluadvertiser.com or call (808) 245-3074. JEFF WIDENER The Honolulu Advertiser Frank DeLima performed recently at Pearlridge Elementary School, one of 350 Hawai'i schools that the entertainer visits every two years. Comedian teaches lesson of humor O'ahu's radio landscape changes Conservative talk replaces KPOI rock; more Hawaiian FM BY WAYNE HARADA Advertiser Entertainment Writer If you're still expecting to get a blast of rock on KPOI 97.5 FM today, forget about it.

During the weekend, KPOI became KHNR Hawai'i's lone FM outlet with conservative news and talk. KPOI, a rock staple since the '50s, went off the air Friday night. The format switch is part of a restructuring of O'ahu radio. Visionary Related Entertainment of Maui sold KPOI and KHUI FM to Salem Media of Hawai'i for a reported $3.7 million. The sale was approved by the Federal Communications Commission and the handover was completed Friday.

Earlier this year, Visionary purchased KPOI and KHUI FM, along with Da Bomb (KDDB 102.7 FM) and FM), from New Wave Broadcasting for $11 million. Visionary sold KPOI and KHUI to comply with FCC regulations. For the casual listener, pushing random buttons in search of a song and format will yield surprises. The KHNR move marks a foray into FM by commercial talk radio. Chaz Ontai will anchor the morning program, with conservative news programming the rest of the day.

The KHNR lineup also will feature syndicated conservative talk personalities such as Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, Laura Ingraham, Dennis Prager and Bill O'Reilly. Over at KHUI (99.5 FM) the well-known radio voice of the Honolulu Skylark returns this SEE RADIO, B6 sophical about the new development. "It's OK; it's kind of inevitable that change has to happen," he said. But, like his neighbors, Bangasan has stories to tell about driving on Fort Weaver Road, which remains the only road directly out of 'Ewa Beach. Bangasan said he's glad he's retired and does not have to drive into town during peak-hour traffic, pointing out that it has taken him 45 minutes to get from his house to the H-l Freeway entrance about five miles away.

Some relief is on its way. During Mindo's term, the Legislature ap- SEE 43RD, B7 Reiko Morita President can tell if you're fake." He estimates that he has made more than 5,000 school visits since he began the program. "We really appreciate that he reinforces the values we try and instill in our kids," said Helen Uyehara, vice principal of Pearl Ridge Elementary, who oversaw DeLima's recent visit to the school. "The kids always enjoy him." "The thing I love the most is the reaction from the kids. I just love to see that innocence and joy when I see them laugh," De-Lima said.

"The other thing is that when I tell them something serious they take it well." DeLima speaks about the Four Magic Words: Reading, Studying, Laughing and Family. And he shares personal experiences to emphasize his points. For example, DeLima told the students that when he was a kid his parents always made sure he worked hard in school. "They'd say, 'Frankie, as soon as you come home, you have to do your he said. And if it wasn't done neatly, he had to redo it.

DeLima told the students to be appreciative of their teachers. "I can remember each and every one of (my teachers') names," he said. "They were strict and they were fair. And when it was time SEE DELIMA B6 I tended to search for a wild pig. Sitting in front of them and leading the singing was the songwriter himself, comedian Frank DeLima.

For 25 years DeLima has been traveling to schools around the state with his Frank DeLima Student Enrichment Program. Like his nightclub act, his school appearances are a mix of songs and jokes. But for his student audiences, he's got a serious message: Study hard. Respect your teachers and parents. Believe in yourself.

"In a nutshell, my program is character education," said DeLima, a 55-year-old with a child's imagination and energy. "Your approach has to be sincere. Kids GeigerV "WW 43 EsseX' Traffic a key 43rd district concern Schoolchildren have been laughing at his jokes for 25 years BY ANNA WEAVER Advertiser Staff Writer WAIMALU Several hundred children sat cross-legged on the green, concrete floor of Waimalu Elementary School's cafetorium, waving their hands back forth and giggling as they sang, "Peanut, peanut butter and jelly!" "Going on a Buta Hunt" followed the "Peanut Butter and Jelly Song," and the students laughed even louder as they pre TO OUR READERS Beginning today, you'll find new features in your Hawai'i section, the place to go for information on how the news of the day affects your community. For a roundup of news and events from various neighborhoods, turn every day to "Around the Islands" on Page B3. New today: The.scoop on how you can help an environmental cause and learn how others make a difference for Mother Earth in "For the Environment" on the Neighbors Page, B3.

i -i r' i Area Growth in 'Ewa area makes drive into town a headache BY GORDON Y.K. PANG Advertiser Capitol Bureau Perhaps nowhere in Hawai'i has new, large-scale development slammed head-on with an older established community as in the 'Ewa Beach-'Ewa area, where thousands of homes have gone up in the past decade and several thousand more are planned. Four candidates for the 43rd House District seat have different on how to deal with that STATE HOUSE 1 A I II It ELECTION 2004 growth, specifically the traffic issue that has become nearly synonymous with the community. One-term incumbent Rep. Romy Mindo is being challenged by two Democrats in the primary 'Ewa Neighborhood Board members Jeff Alexander and Tesha Malama.

The winner will face Republican and first-time candidate Kymberly Pine in the general election. Al Bangasan, 74, has seen many changes since his family moved to 'Ewa Beach in 1971. Bangasan, interviewed at the Starbucks in the 'Ewa Town Center, was philo jy( J222 Xnnui I District 43 of 'Ewa Beach, derail West Loch I The Honolulu Advertiser ideas i viiatauMUUMj cjntroaucuj)m ciawau www.matchmaldnghawaiicom JT 2255 can us ror tliLH consultation Kuhio WaikikLTrade Gentefv-7V, Ph:.