New count puts homeless up slightly

A new point-in-time count shows the total number of homeless statewide increased by 1 percent in January, from the year before, the state said in a news release yesterday.

Breakdowns by island, which are expected to show larger increases in some regions, have not yet been released.

The count shows the number of homeless at a specific "point-in-time," rather than an average, and is conducted annually.

State Comptroller Russ Saito, the governor’s special adviser on homelessness, said the slight increase shows that state-funded programs are working to keep people off the streets.

"We’ve addressed it (homelessness) vigorously," he said.

The count, conducted on one night in January, showed the total number of homeless statewide increased by just 52 people to 5,834, the news release said.

Pearl Harbor to mark key spots

The Navy is unveiling nine new signs this week that explain historical sites at Pearl Harbor.

One of the new wayside exhibit markers highlights the naval hospital that once occupied the area known as Hospital Point.

The 74-bed hospital admitted its first patient in 1917.

A Japanese plane crashed into the tennis courts just behind the hospital’s laboratory during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack.

The hospital is no longer there, but historic homes remain.

The Navy is due to unveil the wayside exhibits tomorrow.

That’s the 112th anniversary of the date when President William McKinley authorized the establishment of the U.S. Navy Hospital Corps.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Nonresident golfers save

Nonresident golfers now can play at cheaper rates at the Wailua Golf Course.

Mayor Bernard Carvalho recently signed a bill that was passed by the County Council that reduces fees for nonresidents and clarifies definitions and regulations of play at the Wailua Golf Course.

Nonresidents now will pay $48 for weekdays, $24 for twilight weekdays, $60 for weekends and holidays, and $30 for twilight weekends. Nonresidents also can purchase an optional play card for $215 that will entitle them to five 18-hole rounds on weekdays.

The bill defines a resident as a "person who has filed a Hawaii resident income tax return or voted in the most recent general or primary election in Hawaii, and possesses a valid Hawaii driver’s license. Active duty military personnel stationed in Hawaii are considered residents."

For the complete list of the bill’s regulations, contact the golf course at 241-6666.

Team 9th at auto skills

A team of two Maui High School students took ninth place at the 2010 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills National Final yesterday at Ford World Headquarters in Dearborn, Mich.

Lewis Drapete and Bryson Higa, who qualified for the national finals at the state championship in April, went up against 49 other state teams in a competition to repair a rigged Ford Flex sport utility vehicle. Winners also were selected based on their performance in a written mechanical exam. The winning team came from North Dakota.

The Hawaii team took home $23,000 in scholarships to pursue post-secondary automotive studies. They also took home a trophy and assorted prizes.

Maui High School has been a fixture at the national competition, qualifying for the finals for a total of 15 times and taking the national title in 1995 and 2000.