The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii • 1

ip lonon i Anvpffiw MONDAY October 15, HOME FINAL 50 cents on O'ahu $1.00 on Neighbor Islands HAWAII'S NEWSPAPER BREAKING NEWS 247 AT H0N0LULUADYERTISER.COM THE BIG ISLAfJD QUAKES: QllU YEAR LATER Ibeefs tro crisis faim 2007 mmm Police 7 1 directed traffic 4 1 Join the conversation by posting comments on this story at HONOLULU ADVERTLSEfi.COM in training may have prolonged the amount of time it took to restore service STORY ft1! CHAIt -i 3 DAYS OF COVERAGE YESTERDAY Big Island businesses, residents still recovering from quakes TODAY HECO assessing ways to avoid island-wide blackouts TCMORHCVV State plans for better communications in event of a disaster Investigations into last year's 15-hour blackout found some shortcomings BY RICK DAYSOG Advertiser Staff Writer One of the latest conclusions from investigations into what caused last year's islandwide electrical failure is that shortcomings in Hawaiian Electric training programs may have played a role, but that the company acted reasonably and in the public's interest on Oct. 15, 2006. A report by the state consumer advocate found that shortcomings at Kapi'olani Boulevard and Kalakaua Avenue during the 2006 islandwide blackout triggered by two large earthquakes off the Big Island. Advertiser library photo to customers after powerful earthquakes rattled the Islands. But Consumer Advocate Catherine Awakuni also said that HECO should not be assessed penalties.

"The HECO companies' training programs for plant and system op- SEE BLACKOUT, A2 MUUt. 1 Kidney charity executive a felon "Over and over again, we hear this fear about Chinatown becoming Waikiki. We're trying to get people to look ahead more effectively." JAKE DUNAGAN University of Hawai'i political science doctoral student CHINATOWN PRANKS, WITH A PURPOSE Body found off Ka'a'awa Teen disappeared while snorkeling with friends Saturday HAWAI'I B1 1 LW XV -i. MM. If tt- Green stamp of approval Nonprofit offers review process for ecotourism operators "1 Nonprofit learns it hired manager while still on parole for theft in N.H.

BY ROB PEREZ Advertiser Stuff Writer A former estate planner who spent 18 months in a New Hampshire prison for stealing $100,000 from a client was hired by a major Hawai'i charity three years later while still on parole, landing an executive's job that initially gave her access to credit card information from some donors. The National Kidney Foundation of Hawai'i was unaware of Diana Pinard's felony criminal conviction when she was hired in April 2005 as director of organizational planning and operations, according to Glen Hayashida, the charity's chief executive. Pinard was released from prison in January 2002 and remained on parole until late December 2005, according to Jeff Lyons, a New Hampshire Department of Corrections spokesman. After learning of Pinard's criminal record on Tuesday, Hayashida said, he began an investigation and placed her on paid leave as a precaution. But he said there has been no basis to suspect any wrongdoing on her part.

Hayashida was alerted to Pinard's criminal past via an anonymous letter that also was sent to The Advertiser and the attorney general's office. Pinard did not disclose her criminal record when she was hired, and the charity at the time did not do criminal background SEE KIDNEY, A7 BUSINESS C1 THE ADVERTISER'S CdiililTlES 'J OPENING SOON II. ii.i -i DEBORAH BOOKER The Honolulu Advertiser UH students Jake Dunagan, left, and Stuart Candy are shown in front of some of the false posters they put up around Chinatown, Duo's efforts to start a debate fell flat in some quarters The ongoing city revitaliza-tion of the community and an emphasis on cultural tourism and creating a playground for local residents has brought more and more people into Chinatown, and kept them coming back, store owners say. So far, there are no national SEE FUTURE, A2 BY MARY VORSINO Advertiser Urban Honolulu Writer Coming soon to Chinatown: a Starbucks, TGI Friday's, American Apparel and luxury lofts priced at $2.5 million each? No, but that's what several signs announced earlier this month in what turned out to be a controversial campaign Chinatown a historically significant community covering 15 square city blocks will become over the next decade, as rents steadily increase amid the success of the arts district. by two University of Hawai'i doctoral students to get Chinatown residents talking about their community's future.

The campaign comes as many are worried about what Volunteers are invited for a Nov. 3 cleanup of a 1 0-mile stretch of North Shore beaches. See the story at MYADVERTISER.COM NCRTKSiiuRE and check out our other community sites. 6 sections, 53 pages -k Blood test could diagnose Alzheimer's at early stage Earlier detection, better drugs push cancer death rates down Classifieds F1-8 Comics E6 Crosswords E2 Editorials A8 Movie ads E5 Nation and World A3 Obituaries 62 TV listings E4 Weather I A4 COPYRIGHT, 2007 San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News SAN JOSE, Calif. Early trials have found a new blood test that's 90 percent effective in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in its early stages.

The test, developed by San Francisco company Satoris, was used to examine more than 200 samples of blood taken from people already diagnosed with Alzheimer's and others unaffected by the brain-disabling To assess the test's ability to predict the disease, American and European scientists also checked blood drawn from people with mild cognitive impairments two to six years before the patients developed Alzheimer's. The test which spots Alzheimer's by detecting unusual activity in 18 proteins associated with the disease was determined to be 90 percent correct SEE TEST, A2 II BY LAURAN NEERGAARD AP Medical Writer WASHINGTON Cancer death rates are dropping faster than ever, thanks to new progress against colorectal cancer. A turning point came in 2002, scientists conclude today in the annual "Report to the Nation" on cancer. Between 2002 and 2004, death rates dropped by an average of 2.1 percent a year. That may not sound like much, ON THE WEB For more on declines in cancer deaths, go to: cancer.govnewscenter pressreleasesReport Nation2007Release To read the report go to: wwwJnterscience report200 but between 1993 and 2001, deaths rates dropped on average 1.1 percent a year.

The big change was a gain against colorectal cancer. While it remains the nation's No. 2 cancer killer, deaths are dropping faster for colorectal cancer than for any other kind by almost 5 percent a year among men and 4.5 percent among women. SEE CANCER, A6 A GANNETT NEWSPAPER a (c.