Newswatch

Institute hopes to boost colon cancer exams

The principals of the Endoscopy Institute of Hawaii say they are hopeful that Hono­lulu’s newest and largest ambulatory surgical center dedicated to digestive track care will reduce the current backlog in colon cancer screenings.

The institute, in the Hale Pawaa building at South Beretania and Keeaumoku streets, officially opened Sunday with a ceremony that included keynote speeches by U.S. Sen. Daniel Ino­uye and former Gov. George Ari­yo­shi.

A collaborative venture among SKAI Ventures and eight general surgeons and gastroenterologists, the institute offers pre-procedural evaluations and patient self-referral to screening exams.

Dr. Racquel Bueno, one of the partners, said the first procedure is scheduled for this morning.

"Our mission is to save lives and be a resource for all of Hawaii," Bueno said.

According to the institute, 1 out of every 10 cancer-related deaths in Hawaii is due to colon cancer.

Election workers caught ‘blue flu’ on primary day

More than half of the Hawaii County Election Division’s permanent staff called in sick on primary election day, a "blue flu" that state and county officials knew about ahead of time.

Those absent included the top administrator, West Hawaii Today reports.

The last-minute scramble to reassign duties likely contrib­uted to the chaos that day, when 13 of the 40 polling places opened late, telephones were incorrectly programmed and other problems led to voter complaints and delayed the ballot count.

The state has since taken over what had been county election duties for the Nov. 6 general election.

"As you might surmise, the Office of Elections was understandably concerned to learn that the services of certain Hilo elections staff will not be available on election day," state Chief Election Officer Scott Nago said in an Aug. 9 letter to County Clerk Jamae Kawa­uchi. "We now understand that you anticipated months ago that some election workers might not show up this week or on election day, and as such, you developed a backup plan."

The letter was among almost 400 pages of documents Nago’s office provided West Hawaii Today in partial fulfillment of an Oct. 5 records request.

Blaze damages condo building in South Maui

A fire caused $1,000 in damage to the exterior of a condominium in South Maui on Sunday, fire officials said.

Two engine companies and a ladder company responded at 12:36 a.m. to a blaze at the Kai Makani in Kihei. Fire crews found police and bystanders trying to put out the fire with garden hoses.

The fire, deemed accidental, was contained to the exterior of the building, officials said. No residents were displaced and there were no injuries.