West Hawaii Today from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii • A6

Murder victim as missing Kalapana man HILO Police said Monday that the charred remains found within a torched vehicle this past Christmas Day were identified by DNA as those of 67-year-old Douglas Vernon Don of Kalapana, who was previously a missing person. At approximately 10 a.m. Dec. 25, police and fire units responded to a side road off 39th Avenue near Pohaku Drive in the Orchidland Estates sub- division to a reported vehicle engulfed in flames. After dous- ing the flames, firefighters saw burnt human remains in the vehicle.

Investigators able to immediately determine if the remains were those of a man or woman. Don was reported missing and police issued a bulletin Dec. 29, four days after the remains were found, seeking public leads on whereabouts. It said Don, who frequented lower Puna, was last heard from Dec. 23, two days before his charred remains were found.

death was classified as a murder and, according to a written statement, police have reason to suspect it is related to evidence located at another property, also on 39th Avenue, but closer to Aulii Street on the opposite end of Orchidland. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Kayne Kelii at 961-2378 or Kayne.kelii@ hawaiicounty.gov, or to call the police nonemergency line at 935- 3311 or Crime Stoppers at 961- 8300. Hawaii AG among those pushing back on census citizenship question NEW YORK A coalition of state attorneys general is urg- ing the U.S. Department of Commerce to not add a question about citizenship to the 2020 census, saying it could lower par- ticipation among immigrants and cause a population undercount.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra led a letter sent on Monday to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The letter says adding the question fatally under- mine the of the 2020 count. They were joined by Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. The governor of Colorado also signed on. acting attorney gener- al is Russell Suzuki.

There was no immediate com- ment from the federal Commerce Department. Trump nominates former AG to 9th Circuit bench HONOLULU President Donald Trump has nominated former Hawaii Attorney General Mark Bennett to the Hawaii seat of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Bennett served as attorney general for eight years under Republican Gov. Linda Lingle, from 2003 to 2011, and then joined the firm Starn Marcus Fisher, where he has practiced complex civil and appellate litigation and govern- ment relations. Bennett also spent seven years as an assistant U.

S. attorney for Hawaii, and spent a dozen years practicing at the Honolulu law firm of McCorriston Miller Mukai MacKinnon LLP. Bennett has also been an adjunct professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa William S. Richardson School of Law. He earned his law degree from Cornell Law School.

appointment won high praise from U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono and Brian Schatz, which may bode well for his chances for confirmation in the U.S. Senate. By local and wire sources also known as Mamalahoa Highway, between Daniel K.

Inouye Highway in South Kohala and Makalei in North Kona, for more than 24 hours. The fire was 90 per- cent contained Monday and crews expected to have full containment by the end of the day, according Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources. Mop-up operations will continue throughout the week. Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief Ian Smith said shut- ting down the highway was necessary because smoke was causing visi- bility problems and crews needed room to safely move their vehicles. The road remained closed until a shift in winds Sunday evening allowed for fire crews to safely reopen the highway around 10 p.m.

Because the fire seemed to have ignited in the mid- dle of nowhere, fire offi- cials on scene Monday said they suspected the ignition source to be a lightning strike. Ward said there were no injuries reported in con- nection to the fire and that no animals that may have been grazing on the state land died. Also, no struc- tures were destroyed. As of Monday afternoon, there were 32 firefighters from Division of Forestry and Wildlife and three from the Hawaii Fire Department. Water tankers, brush trucks, bulldozers and helicopters have been used to suppress the fire.

While there have been a number of small brush fires since the first of the year, Smith said, this is the largest blaze firefight- ers have had to battle. 48 hours, providing suf- ficient food and medical supplies to last through- out that time. Chad Farias superintendent of the Department of Pahoa Complex Area, said that, while such a plan was technically feasible, the cost of stockpiling and storing sufficient food to feed thousands of students for two days would be formidable. However, Creagan said such a protocol may yet be adopted, should a task force determine it to be a worthy measure. like this can start a dialogue about what works and what Creagan said.

can leave it to the task force to figure out the Farias said there was considerable discussion regarding school disaster protocols following the false alarm. Had the incident occurred on a school day rather than a Saturday, he said, schools would have followed the same lock- down procedures used in a shooting or hurri- cane, which would likely have proven insufficient should the alert have proven to be genuine. Creagan said HB 2452, if passed, will at least require all public schools built in the future to include a radiation shelter although he noted that very few buildings are able to withstand the direct shock of a nuclear blast. Both HB 2452 and 2582 were passed by joint committees last week and are waiting a hearing before the House Committee on Finance. Email Michael Brestovansky at herald.com- Kona Marketplace, 808-329-5080 Shops, Waikoloa, 808-886-7599 Hilton Waikoloa Village, 808-886-5019 NaHoku.com 1-800-260-3912 Surprise her with a stunning star.

Starfish Pendant with Abalone Inlay in 14K Yellow or White Gold $299 Chain included Matching Earrings available westhawaiitoday.com6A Tuesday, February 13, 2018 WEST HAWAII TODAY Local NewsWest Hawaii Today BILLS: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A FIRE: CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A A weekend brush fire scorched 1,000 acres and closed a portion of Highway 190 for more than 24 hours. TIFFANY HAWAII TODAY Farias Don IN BRIEF note: Obituaries are published free of charge as a public service. The content is subject to editing to ensure parity treatment and style continuity. Date of publication cannot be guaranteed. Memorial advertisements may be purchased through the newspaper advertising department.

Brenda Angelo Brenda Angelo, 69, of Honokaa, died Jan. 26, 2018, at home. Born on April 16, 1948, in Haina, Honokaa, she was a retired administrative assistant for Mauna Kea Beach and Hapuna Prince hotels and a member of Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Honokaa and Honokaa Hongwanji Obon Dancers. Visitation will be 9-11 a.m. on Feb.

24 at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Honokaa; Mass at 11 a.m. Casual attire and no flowers. She is survived by, brothers, Rudolph Angelo, of Kukuihaele and Norman (Barbara) Angelo, of Ewa Beach, Oahu; sisters, Emma Paiva, of Ahualoa and Bernice (Manuel) Andrade, of Santa Monica, California; sister-in-law, Nellie Angelo of Kukuihaele; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary. Benjamin Castillo Benjamin Sabado Castillo, 73, of Hilo, passed away on Jan.

22, 2018, at Hilo Medical Center. Born on August 14, 1944, in Kohala, he was a retired Road Construction Supervisor for the Hawaii County and a member of the Hawaii Army National Guard. Friends may call on Feb. 17 at Dodo Mortuary Chapel. Visitation will be from 10 a.m.

to noon; memorial of life at noon. Casual attire; flower lei only. He is survived by wife, Terri Castillo, of Hilo; sons, Benjamin Jr. (Dina) Castillo, Gordon (Julie) Castillo and Brandon (Angel) Castillo, of California, Michael (Devra Strickler) Benevides, of Kona; daughters, Denise (Glenn Kama) Castillo and Cheryl (Rey) Morrett, of Nevada, Staci (Frank Paclib) Benevides, of Waikoloa; brother, Carlos Castillo of Honolulu; sisters, Loretta (Edmund) Dante, Felisa (Ignacio) Mostoles and Anita (Alvin) Maeda, of Hilo; 17 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.

Casey Hatada Casey Isamu Hatada, 61, of Hilo, died Feb. 4, 2018, at the Hilo Medical Center. Born in Hilo, he was a retired truck driver for Bakery and the former Hatada Bakery. Friends may call 10-11 a.m. Feb.

17 at the Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin for an 11 a.m. memorial service. Casual attire, no flowers. He is survived by father, Kengo Hatada, of Hilo; sister, Elizabeth (Noel) Aoki, of Keaau; hanai daughter, Kelly (Jim Paul) Okada, of Keaau and Ella-Grace Okada, of Keaau; several aunts, uncles and cousins. Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary.

Andrew Kailiawa Andrew Noel Kailiawa, 63, of Hilo, died Jan. 14, 2018, at his home. Born in 1954 in Hilo, he worked at ARC of Hilo. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Feb.

17 at Wailoa Park in Pavillion 1. Visitiation will begin at 9:30 a.m. He is survived by wife, Cathleen Victorino Kailiawa, of Hilo; stepson Dennis Victorino; three stepdaughters, Melissa (Kaikala) Arruda; Violet (Sam Isabel) Victorino; and Lisa (Charles) Aiona; two brothers, Harold (Sherri) Kailiawa and Elroy Birch; and 17 grandchildren. Yoshio Koji Yoshio Koji, 98, of Hilo, and formerly of Ookala, died Jan. 29, 2018, at the Yukio Okutsu State Veterans Home.

Born in Honolulu, he was a retired garage clerk for the former Hamakua Sugar Company, former television and radio repairman, former member of the Papaaloa Hongwanji Mission and a veteran of the U.S. Army, Company 100th Battalion, 442nd Regimental Combat Team during World War II. Private services held. Family requests no flowers and no koden (monetary gifts). He is survived by daughter, Laverne Miyazono of Hilo; son, Duane Koji of Hilo; sister, Hanae Irie of Pepeekeo; three grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

Arrangements by Dodo Mortuary. OBITUARIES YD Must have coupon or VIC tag. Minimum 1 yard cuts. Limited to stock on hand. Not including Akamai priced items.

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$249 lengths REG. $1299 REG. $2999 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Kohala Hospital Multiple CIP Projects (Phase 2) REQUEST FOR QUOTE Medical Physics and Dosimetry Services Patient Motion Monitoring System If you or your company is interested in receiving a copy of any of the requests please contact: Yvonne S. Taylor (808)322-4442.