Hawaii News Now reports the school is closed Friday so that crews can begin repairs. Statute of patron saint unveiled ADVERTISING HONOLULU (AP) — A 7-foot statue of St. Damien has been unveiled at the Honolulu school named after the
Statute of patron saint unveiled
HONOLULU (AP) — A 7-foot statue of St. Damien has been unveiled at the Honolulu school named after the Belgian priest who cared for leprosy patients exiled to a remote Molokai peninsula.
The China-made statue is mounted next to the chapel at Damien Memorial School. The all-boys school will become coed next fall and is the only school in Hawaii named after Damien, who gained sainthood in 2009.
Hawaii’s patron saint is best known for caring for leprosy patients exiled to the Kalaupapa settlement in the mid-1800s when no one else would. He contracted leprosy 12 years after he arrived, and died of the disease four years later.
The school says the statue depicting the saint wearing his signature wide-brimmed hat and glasses was unveiled at a ceremony Friday.
Miss Hawaii wins a spot in finals
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jump roping Miss Hawaii topped contestants in the third round of the Miss America talent competition in Las Vegas, while a swimsuit-clad Miss New York scored honors in the lifestyle and fitness category.
Miss Hawaii Lauren Cheape won a $2,000 scholarship for her routine to “Hawaii Five-O” at Thursday night’s preliminary. The talent portion is 35 percent of a contestant’s score.
Miss New York Kaitlin Monte earned a $1,000 scholarship after appearing in a Monte Carlo Komplique swimsuit. The fitness category is 15 percent of a contestant’s score.
The two join Miss Wisconsin and Miss Oklahoma, who won for talent in preliminaries earlier this week. Miss Utah and Miss Texas won swimsuit in rounds one and two.
The finals are today at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.
Driver crashes into school library
WAIPAHU, Oahu (AP) — A small Oahu private school is closed the day after a car crashed into its library.
Police say a 73-year-old driver accidentally plowed into the library and computer lab Thursday at Pearl Harbor Christian Academy. A 37-year-old librarian was sitting at her desk at the time. She and the driver were injured.
Head Administrator Phebe Sumida tells the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, “We thought we were under attack. We thought a bomb had exploded.”
She says no children were in the library at the time.
Witnesses tell KHON-TV the driver didn’t slow as she slammed straight into the building.
Hawaii News Now reports the school is closed Friday so that crews can begin repairs.
