Academy to call itself museum

The Honolulu Academy of Arts is changing its public name to the Honolulu Museum of Art.

The name change was approved by the museum’s board and announced Wednesday as part of a branding effort to "better engage the public," but the legal name will remain Honolulu Academy of Arts.

"Visible aspects of the name change — such as on the facades of the Beretania Street museum and at Spalding House in Makiki Heights, and on the website — will be unveiled in March 2012. Then throughout the year the museum will roll out changes and events," the academy said in a news release.

"If we’re a museum, we need to call ourselves a museum," museum director Stephan Jost said. "This change helps us to connect with our island visitors."

Embezzler sentenced to prison

A Honolulu woman must spend 2 1⁄2 years in prison for stealing from a dentist she worked for.

A federal judge sentenced Linda Chun to 30 months in prison and ordered her to pay nearly $197,000 in restitution.

The U.S. Attorney’s Hawaii office said Wednesday that Chun extended the dentist’s home equity loan without his authorization and forged bank cash withdrawal slips. Prosecutors say she also stole from an employee pension benefit plan and forged checks to refinance the loan in 2006 to cover her bills.

The 50-year-old Chun pleaded guilty to a 17-count indictment that included bank fraud, mail fraud and embezzlement.

Victims charged by bug killers they do not hire

Hawaii County police are warning the public about a suspected scam involving insecticide services being performed without prior authorization.

Officers responded to a Nov. 26 report by an 86-year-old South Kohala man that two men arrived at his house and cleaned insects from the eaves, sprayed what they said was insecticide and washed the exterior of the windows.

The men did not have authorization or an estimate for their services, but told the homeowner he owed $3,600. The homeowner paid them.

Police urge the public to report any suspicious business practices and to not be intimidated into paying for services they did not request. Police ask that anyone with information about similar incidents to call the police nonemergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.

Garden Isle kids may register for Winter Fun

Registration for the Kauai County Winter Fun Program, for children 5 to 11, will be held today and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Kapaa, Lihue and Kalaheo neighborhood centers, the county announced.

Activities for the program will be based on the theme, "Nine Days to a Healthy New Year." The program will run from Dec. 19 to Dec. 30, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will not operate on Dec. 26.

The cost of enrollment is $30 per child. Only checks or money orders will be accepted.

For more information or to request additional support or an auxiliary aid for a child to participate, call 241-4460 this week.