Man accused in $150,000 scam
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu police say they have arrested a man suspected of scamming a pastor out of $150,000 by saying he needed the money for expensive court fees.
The pastor’s bank accounts were drained and he was borrowing money from church members to pay 32-year-old Leon Faamama.
Prosecutors say Faamama convinced the pastor to give him the money over 10 months to pay drug court fees. Authorities say Faamama was using the money for personal purposes.
Faamama is being held on $250,000 bail.
Kamehameha’s plan is approved
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu’s city council has approved a $12.6 million redevelopment plan for Kamehameha Schools on Oahu’s North Shore.
The plan calls for new buildings in a 4-acre area in Haleiwa town. Kamehameha officials say four existing buildings will be torn down and three new buildings will go up. Two others would receive renovations.
City officials say they support the plan and that the area needs more parking and a sidewalk.
Man dies after stabbing at mall
HONOLULU (AP) — Authorities say a man has died after being found with stab wounds in a stairwell at the Ala Moana Center in Honolulu.
The man was found bleeding and unconscious in a third-floor stairwell around 3 p.m. Wednesday. He died after being taken to a hospital. His name has not been released, but he’s believed to have been an employee of a business in the mall.
Police are asking anyone with any information on the incident to contact investigators.
Candidates clash over rail plan
HONOLULU (AP) — Honolulu mayoral candidates Ben Cayetano and Kirk Caldwell are airing out their disagreements about the city’s $5 billion rail plan during debates ahead of next month’s election.
The candidates debated Thursday night on PBS one night after a televised showdown on KITV-TV.
Cayetano has made killing the rail plan central to his campaign. He says Caldwell knew the project wouldn’t help traffic congestion and needed further study before going forward.
Caldwell backs the plan and says an alternative for bus rapid transit proposed by Cayetano would cost more than Cayetano estimates.
Cayetano revised his estimate for the project to $1.5 billion. Caldwell says it would actually cost at least $2.5 billion.
Rail has emerged as the hottest issue on Oahu during the campaign.
