Star-Advertiser story wins regional award
Former Star-Advertiser reporter Mary Vorsino won first place in the Best of the West journalism competition’s general reporting category for her Nov. 11 report on problems with the state’s suicide and mental health crisis hotline.
In the story "Crisis hotline hang-up," Vorsino reported that more than 1,200 calls to the state hotline in one month were "abandoned" after the caller stayed on the phone through an average of 16 rings and listened to a recorded announcement. Hundreds more were disconnected before the caller ever got to the recorded announcement, she reported.
"Would you read a story about a suicide hotline that never answered or hung up on more than 1,000 callers in a month? Yeah, me too," wrote the category’s judge, Thomas J. Fladung, managing editor of Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Great watchdog work exposes profound bureaucratic bungling."
The Best of the West contest is open to print and online publications in 14 western states.
Vorsino’s story topped 79 entries in the general reporting category, including second-place winner Hannah Drier of The Associated Press and third-place winner Will Evans of California Watch.
Vorsino worked for the Star-Advertiser since its formation in June 2010 with the merger of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin and The Honolulu Advertiser. Before that she had worked for both newspapers. She left the Star-Advertiser last week to work for the Hawaii Medical Service Association.
Telescope’s foes continue fight by filing appeal
Opponents of a plan to build the world’s largest telescope at the summit of Mauna Kea are appealing their case in the state courts.
Environmental groups and petitioners oppose the state Board of Land and Natural Resources’ decision last month to grant a permit for construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope. They filed a notice of appeal in Circuit Court in Hilo on Monday. The appeal says the project will harm the mountain’s natural resources, undermine its scenery and destroy areas of historic importance.
A group of California and Canadian universities started the effort to build the telescope. Observatories in China, India and Japan are partners in the project. They hope to begin construction in April and start operations in 2021.
Maui County charity walks rake in $789K
The Maui Hotel & Lodging Association raised $789,816 in Visitor Industry Charity Walks on Maui, Molokai and Lanai this year, it announced Monday. The amount was about 28 percent more than last year.
The Maui event, Saturday at War Memorial Soccer Field, raised $701,716 from more than 2,300 walkers.
Betsy Scheller of Na Hoaloha was the top individual fundraiser with $15,165, followed by Peter Tierney of the SPCA with $13,692 and Mitch Mitchell of Hale Makua with $12,765.
Top group fundraisers by category were the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation (nonprofit organization, $65,858), the Grand Wailea (hotel property, $63,530), Bank of Hawaii (business, $22,773), Tri-Star Restaurant Group (restaurant, $7,849) and Maui Condo & Home Vacations (per-capita fundraising, $408 per employee).
