Honolulu Star-Bulletin from Honolulu, Hawaii • 1

Ml GH IN A T1 i 1 mi I I I i i mi 1 1 1 1 1 i TI 6 i I FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2004 THE PULSE OF PARADISE STARBULLETIN.COM 50 CENTS ON.OAHU 75 cents on neighbor islands -r. i i HAWAII Pali killing suspects tied to robbeiy A3 BUSINESS Northwest closing ticket hubs CI HOME Mold-sniffing dog aids detection Dl Mililani ivies Defending champ advances to state soccer semifinals. Bl It BUFFALO WHIGS with the purchase of a large piza. Coupon, A3 a 5 no i xv Dl mi try. I A IIP ho II If ti IK S3 HS 1 a sum 1 I IS At Waimea Bay Beach Park, lifeguard Glenn Wachtel advised people to stay out of the dangerous shorebreak yesterday as surf reached advisory levels.

Nicole Foras, below, moved to heed the warning. FL MORRIS FMORRIS STARBULLETIN.COM I I ft 1 1 .4 i Hgi surf is likely to continue through the weekend; lifeguards are warning folks to stay out of the water "'V The building industry is being hit hard by a lack of concrete during the prolonged dispute By Mary Vorsino mvorsinostarbulletin.com Oahu businesses dependent on concrete say they have taken big financial hits from strikes at the state's largest concrete providers. And they do not expect it to get better any time soon, with the next talks between Hawaiian Cement and the company's 67 unionized workers set for Monday. "We're trying to keep our head above water," said Jeff Chang, operations manager at American Standard Concrete Pumping Hawaii Inc. "I'm trying to keep everybody busy.

It's killing me." Chang's business, which acts as a "modern-day wheelbarrow" at construction sites, is one of a number of companies within the island's building industry that depend on a steady supply of concrete. Miyake Concrete Accessories which sells rebar and other goods needed to lay Please see Concrete, A9 Civil unions bill likely dead, again After heated debate, the same-sex couples measure is deferred By Rod Antone rantonestarbulletin.com The issue of civil unions for same-sex couples brought back old memories and old enemies as about 100 people jammed into a House Judiciary Committee hearing last night to give and hear testimony. House Bill 1024 was introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Eric Hamakawa as the national debate on the same subject flares across the country. But action on the legislation, and a companion bill barring housing discrimination based on sexual orientation, was deferred by the House Judiciary Committee, which did not have a quorum.

If the measures do not move forward by tonight, they are likely dead for the session. The testimony began with a House member getting up to say her piece against civil unions. "To try to act as if there is a difference between 'civil unions' and same-sex marriage is dishonest, cowardly and extremely disrespectful to the people of Hawaii," said Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tamayo, who directed her testimony at Hamakawa. "As Democrats we should be representing Please see Couples, A9 By Mary Vorsino and Leila Fujimori The National Weather Service will likely continue its high surf advisory through this weekend for all islands except Lanai and the North Shore of Please see Waves, A9 ton Highway between Makaha Valley Road and Orange Street at about 4 a.m.

today after high waves washed sand onto the The highway was still closed as of 9:30 a.m. as crews worked to clear it. Oahu Civil Defense assisted police. Despite the high waves, no homes were threatened, said the agency's administrator, Doug Aton. "The good news is the waves have been subsiding since 4 a.m.," he said.

lfujimoristarbulletin.com Police cfosed a stretch of Harring CORKY'S HAWAII Regents blast UH housing bid Bert A. Kobayashi: Former rete i I "i chairman cooivns Queen Kapiolani Hotel State information agency faults regents on Dobelle evaluation notice. A3 in the Chronicle of Higher Education highlighted the problem of insider deals among university trustees and noted that trustees who approve deals above fair market value for a fellow trustee or affiliated foundations are subject to Internal Revenue Service sanctions. "It appeared they were trying to hide something," Lagareta said after the meeting. "We went through this with Everett Dowling.

We are personally liable. We deserve to have all the information, especially if the deal involves a sitting regent or the vice chairman of the University of Hawaii Foundation." Dowling, a former regent, resigned from the board after Please see Regents, A9 The revelation that the low bidder has UH ties results in criticism By Craig Gima cgimastarbulletm.com A prominent developer with close ties to the University of Hawaii is the leading contender to win a large contract to provide off-campus housing starting this fall, university officials said. University regents chastised the UH-Manoa administration foi not informing them that Bert Kobayashi, vice chairman of the UH Foundation and a former Board of Regents chairman, is an owner of the Queen Kapiolani Hotel, the low bidder for the deal to provide a minimum of 400 beds for students for the next five years. "You are putting us and this institution at risk," said regent Kitty Lagareta. Lagareta said a recent article "tkeytfjinkthe weed amb seed program is away fop Houses to encroach on public C3 D6 Dl Stocks Television Today Tomorrow: Partly cloudy.

Trades 15-20. High in the low 80s. Details, A4 ClassifiedsCall 529-4800 Volunip 3 Num1er 342 6 sections Copyright 2iXi4 Honolulu Star-Bulletin All rights reserved Movies W6 NationWorld A10 Obituaries C9 Police Fire A5 Scoreboard B4 Sports Bl StateCounty gov't, notices C12 Commentary All Horoscope D2 Kokua Line A2 Local News A3 Alo-Ha Friday A2 Business CI Classifieds CIO Comics D8 In 'ni 7 a 1 0QQQ1UM2 AUDI OFtfAVAIS 1 2004 AUDI A4 1.8 Turbo 2004 AUDI TT Coupe (A1237) 4 (A1342) 1CG3 S. Ccrxtsnia tr f- sT v. mo tm te: Put tIIH8 4 t.

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