See stores or hpmhawaii.com/atv for details.
The campaign money game TWO LEGISLATIVE
CHALLENGERS
OUT-RAISE INCUMBENTS
One of
Old A rape
suspects
pleads guilty
TYRON SIGRAH,
17, FACES UP TO 20
YEARS IN PRISON
BY TIFFANY DEMASTERS
WEST HAWAII TODAY
tdemasters@westhawaiitoday.com
Sigrah
Lava boat captain: ‘It was immense’
23 PEOPLE ARE INJURED AFTER TOUR BOAT HIT BY ‘LAVA BOMB’
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HI 87 LO 76 WEATHER, PAGE 6A
VOL. 50, NO. 198 18 PAGES
INSIDE
MEETING
WITH RUSSIA
Trump embraces
longtime U.S. foe
Putin, doubting
own intel
PAGE 3A
▼
HITTING
THEM ALL
Harper wins
Home Run Derby
at Nationals Park
SPORTS, 1B
▼
TUESDAY, JULY 17, 2018 WESTHAWAIITODAY.COM 75¢
HILO — Two Big Island legislative
incumbents are raising
less money than their challengers,
while most are socking away
solid funding advantages over
those running against them.
That’s according to a West
Hawaii Today analysis of
June 30 reports local candidates
filed last week with the
state Campaign Spending
Commission. The analysis
looked at total money raised
for the election cycle, amount
remaining June 30 and how
much money came in increments
of $100 or less compared
to larger contributions.
In what last election was one
of the closest nail-biters, the
House District 7 Democratic
primary race, David Tarnas, who
is again challenging incumbent
Rep. Cindy Evans, has raised
$38,585 to Evans’ $17,883. More
of Evans’ money has come from
donations of $100 or less, while
all of Tarnas’ big contributions
of over $1,000 came from the
district he wants to represent.
“I think the fact that I have
raised significantly more than
she has demonstrates that the
level of support I have in the
community is greater than hers,”
Tarnas said Monday.
Tarnas, who came within 176
votes of beating Evans in 2016,
also has more money left to work
with, just less than a month
before the Aug. 11 primary. The
winner faces Tom Belekanich, a
virtually unknown Republican,
in the general election.
In the House District 5 race,
challenger Jeanne Kapela
has raised $17,638 to incumbent
Rep. Richard Creagan’s
$13,640. Both candidates
report that about 17 percent of
their contributions are coming
in donations of $100 or less.
Creagan, however, had more
money to spend as of June 30,
with a war chest of $14,084
to Kapela’s $4,724. He said
Monday he’s still raising money
and plans to continue an aggressive
campaign.
Also on the Democratic primary
ballot, Gene “Bucky” Leslie
reports no contributions as of
June 30. With only Democrats
in the race, the election will be
decided in the primary.
Creagan’s largest contributions
came from fellow physicians
and a state medical
political action group; Kapela’s
BY NANCY COOK LAUER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com
SEE CAMPAIGN PAGE 5A
KAILUA-KONA — A
17-year-old boy is facing 20
years in prison after pleading
guilty in 3rd Circuit Court
for crimes committed during
a 2016 rape at Old Kona
Airport Park.
Tyron Sigrah appeared
before Judge Robert D.S.
Kim on Monday and pleaded
guilty to first-degree sexual
assault, second-degree
assault, kidnapping and second
degree robbery.
In return for the guilty
plea, the state
will dismiss
four remaining
sexual
assault and
terroristic
threatening
charges.
The Hawaii
County Prosecutor’s Office
recommends that the
charges be served concurrently,
or simultaneously.
According to the plea
SEE PLEA PAGE 4A
Figures at the front line
NUMBER OF AGENCIES OFFER RESOURCES FROM
DRUGS TO WRAPAROUND HEALTH SERVICES
TO FIGHT OPIOID MISUSE ON HAWAII ISLAND
From left, Edward Reynolds, Bud Luth, Kekoa Kealoha and Teri Hollowell speak amongst each other at the Hawaii Island
HIV/AIDS Foundation office in Kailua-Kona. CAMERON MICULKA/WEST HAWAII TODAY
Editor’s note: This story is the third in a fivepart
series by West Hawaii Today focusing on opioid
addiction on Hawaii Island. It began with how a heroin
overdose played a vital role in the shuttering of a wellknown
Kailua-Kona homeless camp and will finish on
what more needs to be done to fight painkiller abuse.
Eye-opening stats will be presented along the way:
Hawaii County’s prescription rate doubles every other
county in the state, while a vast majority of overdose
calls are in homes and condos, not in homeless sites.
Day 3: Figures on the front: Meeting the faces
and agencies fighting against opioid abuse
Day 4: Lessons learned: Safeguards,
prevention improved with knowledge gained
Day 5: Coming out the other side: More is needed
in the fight, but recovery story proof it works
KAILUA-KONA — In an office
tucked back behind a Taco Bell,
around the corner and through a door
marked with a large red ribbon works
a team of professionals on the frontlines
in a fight for people’s lives.
It’s a formidable task. But the team
from the Hawaii Island HIV/AIDS
Foundation and the Hawaii Health
and Harm Reduction Center are up to
it, undaunted even.
“The population that we serve, the
few minutes that they’re in here with
us is probably the calmest and the safest
moments of their day, just because
of the whole attitude of the staff,”
said Bud Luth, community health outreach
worker with HIHAF and the
Hawaii Health and Harm Reduction
Center. “We’ve got people that’ll come
by to exchange and they just want to
hang out, because it’s a safe place to
be.”
While addiction recovery resources
in West Hawaii are limited, particularly
when it comes to residential
treatment centers — considered the
“gold standard” of treatment, as one
BY CAMERON MICULKA
WEST HAWAII TODAY
cmiculka@westhawaiitoday.com
SEE OPIOIDS PAGE 9A
A tour boat is
pictured after
an explosion
sent lava flying
through its
roof off the
Big Island
on Monday,
injuring at
least 23 people.
HAWAII COUNTY
CIVIL DEFENSE VIA
FACEBOOK/SPECIAL TO
WEST HAWAII TODAY
HILO — The captain of
a lava tour boat hit by what
authorities called a “lava bomb”
Monday morning near the
Kapoho lava ocean entry said
he never saw the explosion that
rained molten rocks down on
top of his boat.
Shane Turpin, owner of Lava
Ocean Tours and captain of the
boat “Hot Spot,” said he and
his tour group were in the area
for about 20 minutes before he
piloted the boat closer to shore
to get a better view. He said the
explosion occurred as they were
leaving.
“As we were exiting the zone,
BY JOHN BURNETT AND
MICHAEL BRESTOVANSKY
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
SEE LAVA PAGE 7A
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