Shopping center project advances
Shopping center project advances
KAPOLEI, Oahu (AP) — Plans for a $500 million shopping center in Kapolei are moving forward.
Upon completion, Ka Makana Alii will be Oahu’s third largest shopping mall after Ala Moana Center and Pearlridge Center.
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands says a unanimous vote by the Hawaiian Homes Commission Thursday allows the developer to finalize its design and financing for the project.
The department says it has been in ongoing negotiations with DeBartolo Development regarding conditions of the agreement, primarily due to the economic climate.
DeBartolo will pay the department more than $600 million in rent over 65 years for 67 acres of Kapolei land.
The department says revenues from the lease will finance building Native Hawaiian homesteads adjacent to the center and open up other homesteading opportunities statewide.
Man, 22, dies in Oahu house fire
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu firefighters say a 22-year-old man died in a house fire in Honolulu’s Kalihi Valley.
Fire Capt. Terry Seelig said the fire was called in at 6:35 p.m. Thursday.
He says the fire was controlled in less than 40 minutes but it destroyed the home.
Firefighters discovered the victim’s body behind a closed door of a second-floor room.
Witness Jack Roberts says he and two other men stopped when an 11-year-old girl said her brother was inside and was autistic. Roberts says the men tried to kick in the door but had to retreat from the fast-moving fire.
Youth academy
faces complaints
HONOLULU (AP) — The Hawaii National Guard says two teenage female cadets in the National Guard Youth Challenge Academy have filed complaints that two staff members engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct.
The National Guard says it contacted Honolulu police and started its own investigation.
Lt. Col. Chuck Anthony said two staff members were placed on unpaid suspension
The academy is in Kalaeloa. The misconduct was said to have occurred in October. The teens reported it last week.
Anthony says an investigation is going on and he could not say whether the incidents could be characterized as assault.
The Youth Challenge Academy enrolls at-risk youth age 16 to 18 in a military-style environment for 22 weeks as they study for high school diplomas and learn life skills.