GET IN & GET OUT INSIDE TIRED OF SITTING ON THE FENCE? CALL McCOURT! Real Property Solutions for Kona Buyers and SellersSM Firefighters lose appeal HILO — Two West Hawaii battalion chiefs who said they were stripped of their badges after they publicly criticized their boss failed in their appeal for lost overtime pay and benefits. The Merit Appeals Board last week unanimously ruled that Battalion Chiefs Ty Medeiros and Steve Loyola were not due overtime and vacation pay after being put on paid leave in late 2014. Fire Chief Darryl Rosario placed them on leave and physically stripped their uniforms of badges and rank insignia, actions the board agreed were administrative and not disciplinary. The two longtime firefighters, who had consistently received satisfactory performance evaluations, said they were humiliated by the chief ’s actions. Although the board found that the fire chief and the county did not violate any rules, policies or procedures, some members were concerned about the department’s SEE FIREFIGHTERS PAGE 9A $1M bail for 1 arson suspect Randi-Keli Banagan, Kainoa Lindo have prelims Monday BY GRAHAM MILLDRUM WEST HAWAII TODAY gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com KEALAKEKUA — Two people charged with intentionally lighting a fire at a courthouse and threatening a group of teenagers will have preliminary hearings next week following their initial court appearances on Thursday. Randi-Keli Banagan, 24, Captain Cook, and Kainoa Lindo, 22, of Honaunau, are both charged with first-degree arson, conspiracy to commit arson, first-degree criminal property Cop trial set Officer charged with assault pleads not guilty BY GRAHAM MILLDRUM WEST HAWAII TODAY gmilldrum@westhawaiitoday.com ALL SMILES ON ST. 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Exclusive to stock number 763017. *Payments are based on a selling price of $16,999. 75 months no money down based on a 1.99% Oac. Price is after a $1,500 current offi cial rebate. Exclusive to stock number 753173. 2015 0 *Payments are based on a selling price of $20,770. 75 months no money down based on a 1.99% Oac. Price is after a $2,000 current offi cial rebate. Exclusive to stock number 753162. 2015 75¢ HI 83 LO 70 WEATHER, PAGE 8A VOL. 48, NO. 78 38 PAGES South Kohala development loses golf course permits communication policies, both within the department and to outside entities. Hilo attorney Ted Hong, representing the battalion chiefs, said after the ruling that he intends to take the matter to court. “This was a difficult case for the board to consider. It involved four full days of testimony and thousands of pages of documents,” Hong said. “The issues the board was facing have never been addressed by the county before. I think the board tried their best to navigate this difficult case.” The battalion chiefs were investigated after they wrote letters to the Fire Commission and the mayor criticizing the BY NANCY COOK LAUER WEST HAWAII TODAY ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com PULLING THE PIN KAILUA-KONA — Game over. A permit issued a quarter century ago to construct six 18-hole Championship golf courses, a golf teaching academy and five clubhouses at Aina Lea on 3,000 acres in South Kohala is no more after Hawaii County Leeward Planning Commissioners voted unanimously Thursday to revoke the document. “They didn’t meet the conditions, and have no intent or plans to complete what the permit was issued for,” said Brandi Beaudet, who served his final meeting as chairman of the commission that day, but will continue to serve as a member. “It was the more reasonable and logical thing for the planning director to revoke the permit.” Hawaii County Planning Director Duane Kanuha recommended revocation of the permit issued in December 1991, BY CHELSEA JENSEN WEST HAWAII TODAY cjensen@westhawaiitoday.com KEALAKEKUA— The off-duty police officer who allegedly assaulted a 72-year-old man pleaded not guilty in 3rd Circuit Court Thursday. Jami Harper faces second-degree assault stemming from a Jan. 22 incident where he and his upstairs Kalanikai apartment complex neighbor had a physical confrontation that sent both men to the hospital. Harper appeared in front of Chief Judge Ronald Ibarra to schedule a jury trial. Harper is due in court for a pretrial conference on May 20. His jury trial is currently set for July 26. During Harper’s preliminary hearing March 10 prior to his case being sent to 3rd Circuit Court, testimony said Harper and his neighbor had an altercation outside the victim’s apartment. Both sides said the other was the aggressor. Following the altercation, the victim was treated and released from the hospital while Harper spent four days in the hospital for an unspecified medical condition. SEE PERMIT PAGE 10A SEE ARSON PAGE 9A Rosario Attorney vows to take pay, benefit case to court Banagan Lindo Jenni Lee exudes St. Patrick’s Day cheer Thursday at Quinn’s Almost by the Sea in Kailua-Kona. LAURA SHIMABUKU/WEST HAWAII TODAY
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