Puppy Love
Two dogs with excellent sniffers – Bella and Magnum – have a new job. The Department of the Attorney General’s Missing Child Center-Hawaii recruited the canine aides in to help with missing person searches.
“Bella, a Bloodhound, will train with Annie, the Honolulu Police Department’s first Bloodhound, who turns 10 years old this year. Magnum, a Labrador, will join the Hawaii Police Department’s canine unit. The two will also assist with locating lost hikers and persons suffering from dementia or other debilitating conditions and with tracking escapees and fugitives,” said a statement from the Attorney General’s office.
The animals are donated by the Atherton Foundation and the Friends of the Missing Child Center-Hawaii.
“We are pleased to participate in this collaborative effort to provide the Honolulu and Hawaii police departments with this valuable resource. Bella and Magnum reinforce our commitment to protecting Hawaii’s children and recovering missing persons,” said Attorney General David Louie.
“The HPD’s Missing Persons Section receives more than 500 missing person reports annually,” said Police Chief Louis Kealoha. “While the majority of these persons are found safe within 24 hours, dogs like Annie and Bella are critical in helping to locate individuals for whom time is of the essence.”
In a rare occasion that a stranger abduction of a child may occur, the first three hours are critical to a safe recovery of a child, the statement said.
For information about the center, call 586-1449 or 753-9797.
Aloha!
Maui residents who launched the Aloha Initiative will welcome Japanese students and chaperones from the tsunami/earthquake devastated areas of Japan this Monday. The group, impacted by the March 11 disaster, will spent 19 days on Maui for respite care with volunteer host families welcoming them into their homes.
The Aloha Initiative reports that funds donated by First Hawaiian Bank, Relativity Media, and Mana Foods and others, will cover the remaining airfare already deeply discounted by Hawaiian Airlines.
The Hawaii Strategic Development Corporation (HSDC) wants community members to figure out how the state should spend $13 million of investment capital given to the state by the U.S Department of Treasury to subsidize a venture capital “fund of funds” investment program.
“Specifically, HSDC would like to identify opportunities to invest in qualified venture capital funds or investment entities that will develop and mentor Hawaii-based technology companies and help them enter venture capital markets,” a statement from the State Office of Business and Economic Development said.
Interested? Attend a meeting on July 26, at 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Downtown Honolulu at the HiSAM on 250 S. Hotel Street. See more at www.hsdc.hawaii.gov. Written comments are due by August 22, 2011.