Beer thief hit by bus dies
HONOLULU - Police say a man, fleeing on foot after stealing two 12-packs of beer, died after being run over by a tour bus in Waikiki.
The 21-year-old man was running away after stealing the beer from the ABC store at the Hyatt Regency Waikiki hotel when he tripped and fell at about 10:37 p.m. Monday.
The man dropped the beer on Koa Street and kept running, but tripped again.
Police said a yellow Motor Coach Industries tour bus owned by Travel Plaza Transportation had just made a legal right turn. The man fell under the rear wheel of the bus and was dragged 100 feet.
The man, with no local address, was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Trapped child hospitalized
HALEIWA, Oahu - Police say a 5-month-old girl was hospitalized after being locked in a car in Haleiwa for several hours.
The child was found unconscious in the vehicle parked in a restaurant parking lot around noon Monday.
She was taken to a hospital where officials said she was in serious condition.
The girl's father is being investigated on suspicion of endangering the welfare of a minor but has not been arrested.
Police have not released the name of the girl, or of her father.
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'Pink Palace' now historic
HONOLULU - The Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Waikiki has become the first hotel in Hawaii to gain membership in Historic Hotels of America, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The 84-year-old "Pink Palace" was one of 39 historic properties selected from more than 130 across the nation that were nominated.
Historic Hotels Worldwide executive director Lawrence Horwitz says a hotel must be at least 50 years old, listed in, or eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places or recognized locally as having historic significance to be chosen.
Kapiolani Community College hospitality dean Frank Haas says membership in the program allows the Royal Hawaiian to become part of a booking network that connects travelers seeking out historic hotels.
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Korean center gains $2M
HONOLULU - The Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa has a new $2 million endowment to ensure the steady growth of Korean studies at the school.
The Korea Foundation contributed $1 million for the endowment, while the center raised the rest from other contributors.
The University of Hawaii Foundation said Monday that the funds will allow the school to offer more Korea-related courses, particularly those in the humanities and social sciences.
The center plans to work with various departments to establish new tenure-track faculty positions in disciplines currently not taught on campus.
The Center for Korean Studies was established in 1972. It brings together one of the largest concentrations of Korea scholars outside Korea itself.
