From the Hawaii County Police Department:

HILO, Hawaii: Big Island police are investigating an attempted robbery Monday night in downtown Hilo.

A 14-year-old girl was reportedly accosted at the Moʻoheau bus terminal between 11:45 p.m. and 11:55 p.m. by a young man who brandished an edged weapon and demanded her purse.

The victim fled without giving up her purse and ran along Kamehameha Avenue until she reached a business and called the police.

The suspect is described as a local or Hispanic male in his early 20s, about 5-foot-4 and 115-120 pounds with a dark complexion, a bald head and a mustache. He had a tattoo on his left neck with cursive letters in a circle and a possible tribal tattoo on his right calf and shin. He was wearing black shorts and a black long-sleeved T-shirt.

Police ask that anyone with information about this case call Detective Wendall Carter at 961-2378 or email him at wcarter@co.hawaii.hi.us.

Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.

Democrats try to overcome scorched earth campaigns to refocus on November challenge

Mobile version of video

September 18, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan

Kamehameha Avenue was was overrun by honking horns, colored signs and raucous cheering on Friday evening. State Democrats heeded the call to gather for the Grand Rally – Hilo’s election-time tradition that is held faithfully on the eve of the September Primary.

Most of the space along the highway was taken by supporters of gubernatorial candidates Mufi Hannemann and Neil Abercrombie (the night’s “main event”), with the red t-shirts on the mauka side of the road, white t-shirts makai. Despite the obvious division, it was a Democratic love-fest at the customary candidate speeches held beneath the Mooheau Bandstand later in the evening.

Those who expected a verbal bloodbath between the two gubernatorial candidates (even Colleen Hanabusa admitted she “came to see Neil and Mufi”) were instead treated to a measured display of support for one another, as the party already appeared to be planting the seeds of unification before heading into the general election.

The promise to heal wounds, even in the midst of continued attack advertisements, was expressed not only by the two candidates, but by others running on the same party ticket. Mayor Billy Kenoi, not running for any office but representing U.S. Senator Dan Inouye’s bid for re-election, reminded the crowd of President Obama’s primary election opponent – and eventual Secretary of State – Hillary Clinton.

After the candidates made their final pre-election appeal to voters, they joined the crowd in clasping hands for Hawaii Pono’i, before facing their political fates the next day.

August 23, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan

Over 200 supporters of Roger Christie rallied at the Mooheau bandstand on Wednesday. Christie, who founded the THC-Ministry in Hilo where he says he shared the sacrament of cannabis with members, was arrested in July for running what federal authorities called a “large scale” marijuana business.

The situation has apparently mobilized followers of Christie’s beliefs, who see the ministry bust as an assault on their freedoms. During the rally, speakers directed angry remarks towards law enforcement, and the few county police officers who were quietly monitoring the gathering from the bayfront parking lot. After the bandstand rally, marijuana advocates marched to the Hilo federal building to protest Christie’s incarceration.

Christie is currently being held federal detention center without bail, where he awaits an April 2011 trial. In all, 14 people were arrested for their alleged connections to the THC-Ministry.

Extended video of the August 18th rally

Mobile version of video

July 5, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan

Pyrotechntics thundered over Coconut Island on the 4th of July, lighting the Hilo Bayfront for miles.

For those watching the show at the Mooheau Bandstand, the Lehua Jaycees Fireworks Exhibition was given a patriotic soundtrack, thanks to the Hawaii County Band. In this video, the band’s version of the 1812 Overture was performed in synchronized coordination with the fireworks display.

The Bayfront Highway was closed from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to allow for access onto the Bayfront shore for fireworks viewing. The Mooheau Park and Ball Field glittered with sparklers and glow apparel, as Hilo ohana enjoyed the Independence Day evening out in the open, without the frequent rains for which the windward city is known.

June 10, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan

Hundreds gathered at the Mooheau Park bandstand on Wednesday night to honor the memory of Catherine Estevez Dingle, who was stabbed to death on May 29 on the Hilo Bayfront.

The local Filipino community made a strong showing, rallying to end violence in the community, and fundraising for Dingle’s four surviving children.

Police arrested her husband, Steve Dingle, for the murder. He will appear in court on July 13.

During the vigil, friends, family, co-workers at Big Island Candies, and even Mayor Billy Kenoi made remarks, describing the loving mother, and advocating for the need to end domestic violence in the community.

Ditas Udani and Rose Bautista organized the day long event, which also included sign waving along Kamehameha Highway, a candlelight vigil, music and prayer.

Hilo, Hawaii – Video by David Corrigan

A larger than normal crowd at Hilo’s Mooheau Park Bandstand heard a passionate performance by the Hawaii County Band on Saturday, as the historic group of musicians played what could be a swan song of sorts.

That’s because the band is being cut out of the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which was recently submitted to the county council by the administration.

The band plays monthly concerts at the Hilo park, but few have been as well attended as Saturdays performance. Before the concert, the band held a sign waving in an attempt to raise awareness over their pending fate. The band is busy on an almost weekly basis, marching in parades and performing at other special events.

Mayor Billy Kenoi’s Department of Parks and Recreation cut funding for the band, as well as their west side counterparts, citing the difficult and challenging economic times. The band is not the only institution taking a hit. County employees will be furloughed, and residents will be facing a property tax increase that will come in the subtle form of a revenue-neutral rate adjustment.

The band may get a reprieve at the council, however. Several councilmembers have expressed interest in trying to restore the $347,027 in funding currently needed for the band. In this video, council chair J Yoshimoto explains his feelings on the band.

The Hawaii County Band has been in operation for 127 years.

Save the Hawaii County Band petition – www.petition.fm/petitions/savetheband/0/13/

The Year of the Tiger exploded onto the bayside town of Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii on Saturday, as the annual Chinese New Year celebration drew thousands downtown.

Firecrackers and cymbal crashes punctuated the customary performance of the Big Island Shaolin Arts Lion Dancers, as the crowd moved from an opening blessing at the Mooheau Bandstand along Kamehameha Avenue, to the historic bayfront storefronts, blessing people and businesses along the way.

Chinese New Year in Hilo

Eventually, the parade of lion dancers moved all the way to Kalakaua Park, where festival tents were filled with Chinese, Asian, Hawaiian, and local crafts, art and products, cultural practitioners offering information and demonstrations in Feng Shui, I-Ching, Chinese fortune telling, calligraphy, and tea. The free event also featured an international “Food Court” and entertained the masses with martial arts, cooking demonstrations, and a Keiki Chinese Costume contest.

The Hilo Chinese New Year Festival is presented by the Palace Theater, produced by Alice Moon & Company, and funded in part by a grant from the County of Hawaii Department of Research and Development through the Hawaii Tourism Authority. This is the 8th year for the Hilo event.

This year is the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese Zodiac, or Sheng xiao. The 12 zodiac signs that comprise the 12-year cycle are said to each represent a different personality type. Among other attributes, the tiger is said to be cold, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, aggressive, unpredictable, selfish, and even ruthless.

According to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, approximately 50,000 Chinese men arrived in Hawaii in the mid 1800s to work in the sugar plantations. Today, about one-third of Hawaii’s population is of mixed Chinese ancestry.

Video by David Corrigan

Video by David Corrigan, voice of Tim Bryan

November 3, 2008 – Hilo, Hawaii

Kamehameha Avenue along Hilo’s bayfront was alive and animated by sign waving supporters on the eve of the general election.

Festivities included a drumming circle beneath the monkeypod trees of Mooheau Park along with roadside sign waving, seen in the video above. Afterwards, there was entertainment, and a round of last minute campaign speeches, under the Mooheau Bandstand.

According to numbers published in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald, Hawaii County has already had 26,571 votes cast in absentee and walk-in voting. This is more than double the number of people who voted early in the 2004 election.

At this rate, powered in part by public interest in the pivotal national election, the Big Island is likely to see an historic, high voter turnout.

September 19, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video By David Corrigan

The sister of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, Maya Soetoro-Ng, speaks at the Big Island Democratic Party’s Grand Rally at Mo’oheau Park.

The rally is a pre-election day tradition along the bayfront in Hilo. Hundreds of Democratic Party supporters were in attendance.

Arriving at 6 p.m., Soetoro-Ng spoke for about 10 minutes, and stressed the importance of the Hawaii primaries, as well as the November general election.

Soetoro-Ng will not be on the Big Island for long. She is scheduled to attend a Democratic Party of Hawaii Unity Breakfast on Sunday at 7:30 a.m. in Honolulu.

September 19, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii

Video by David Corrigan

Hundreds of Big Island Democrats fill the streets in support of their candidates on the eve of the primary election.

Sign waving campaigners built excitement to a fever pitch with cheers, honking cars and beating drums.

Later, speeches were made beneath the bandstand at Mooheau Park, including an address by the sister of Barak Obama, Maya Soetoro-Ng. Cheering at the rally was so loud, tremors from a 4.3 magnitude earthquake 26 miles from Hilo were unnoticed by the crowd.

The Big Island Democratic Party’s Grand Rally is a long standing tradition in Hawaii. This was the 54th time the rally has been held. The event dates back to 1954, and the start of the “Democratic Revolution” in Hawaii.