4 of 5 bodies recovered

4 of 5 bodies recovered

By Tom Finnegan - The Garden Island

Kaua‘i Fire Department rescuers said yesterday they were unsure when they would be able to get the final victim from the remote Bali Hai Helicopter Tours crash site near Kapalaoa Point.

After pulling two victims out off the remote, steep, slippery cliff face Monday, KFD rescue personnel extracted two other bodies in about two hours yesterday.

But the fifth victim remains trapped under the helicopter's fuselage, and firefighters said they would not move the debris out of concern for their own safety.

"We don't want to (move) it anywhere in case it slips. The wreckage itself is on an 80-degree incline" and could slip and hurt KFD personnel, said KFD Capt. Colin Wilson, who was in charge of yesterday's mission.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families," Wilson added.

County Public Information Officer Cyndi Mei Ozaki said that the final victim's remains would be recovered when the salvage operation, to be facilitated by officials with Bali Hai Helicopter Tours and their insurance agency, got under way and the wreckage could be removed from the mountain. County officials would be working with representatives of the insurance company and National Transportation Safety Board officials to expedite the recovery, Ozaki added.

Five victims were involved in the crash, the pilot and two passengers from Ohio and a German couple. It was unclear which victim was still not recovered.

According to other news outlets, friends and family identified the Ohio couple as 36-year-old Thomas J. Huemmer, an attorney from Avon, Ohio, and his girlfriend, 30-year-old Tamara Zytkowski, of Westlake, Ohio.

The families of the two Ohio residents and the pilot had been notified, but Ozaki was unsure whether the German couple's family had been reached yet. The names of the victims have not been officially released.

The salvage operation will also give investigators a chance to begin their investigation into what caused the crash.

"We can't even look at the wreckage," Nicole Charnon, the NTSB investigator at the scene said yesterday. "It may be the end of the week before it is taken off."

It's already been almost five days since the helicopter, on a routine 45-minute tour of the island, went down last Friday afternoon. Thanks to poor weather and the remote location, rescuers were only put down on the site Monday.

And, Wilson said, rescuers wouldn't have made it yesterday if not for the Army and the 68th Medical Company's Black Hawk medivac helicopter.

"They had pinpoint accuracy," Wilson said. "We couldn't have done it without them, no way."

Tuesday's rescuers, whom Wilson identified as Fire Apparatus Operator Solomon Kanoho and Fire Rescue Specialists Jeff Weiss and Tim Stokesbary, knew exactly where to go, thanks to the work of Monday's KFD crew and the Army crew.

Also, contrary to Tuesday's reports, Army officers were able to locate all five victims by Monday evening.

Monday "was a search. (Tuesday) was a recovery," Wilson added. "We knew exactly where the two bodies were" Tuesday.

Unlike Monday, when four rescuers were dropped at the site, Tuesday only three rescuers touched ground. Two were dropped in a ravine 130 feet from the crash site, and another was hoisted down to a location close to the fourth victim.

While the air was clear of clouds and rain, the mud and waist-high ferns, coupled with the steep grade, made work painstaking and difficult, Wilson said. Rescuers still had to tie off harnesses on stunted ohia trees for protection.

"It looks really deceiving from the air," Wilson said. It's much worse for the rescuers once they hit the ground.

The Black Hawk helicopter actually ferried one rescuer from one site to another to limit the amount of climbing the rescuers accomplished, Wilson continued.

"We were able to get really close and in and out," Wilson added. "It was awesome" what the Army helicopter could do.

Within two hours of lift-off at 10:40 a.m. yesterday, their work was completed for the day.

Bali Hai Helicopters leaders released a statement yesterday, expressing grief for the victims and thanks to the rescuers, Kauai Hospice, and for the community support.

"On behalf of my family, the Bali Hai staff and myself, I would like to express the immense sorrow that we feel in regard to the tragic accident," said James V. Le, owner of Bali Hai Helicopter Tours.

"Our prayers and thoughts are constantly focused on those persons who lost their lives," Le said.

"I can assure their families that we, a small family-owned and operated business, share your grief.

"This is even more profound to us because this is the first and only accident we have ever had since we established our company 18 years ago," he continued.

The helicopter was reported missing Friday after failing to return from a tour on time, officials said. A crew on a Coast Guard helicopter spotted the crash site Saturday.

The pilot formerly flew with India's air force, and had flown tours for two months, said Coast Guard Lt. Danny Shaw. The helicopter was about 26 years old, according to the NTSB officials.

Kaua‘i Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste, in Japan to promote Kaua‘i abroad, also released a statement yesterday.

"I regret that I cannot say this in person," Baptiste said. "I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the helicopter-crash victims, and am truly saddened by this tragedy.

"I understand there has been an outpouring of community support during this period, and for that I am heartened," he continued. "I would like to thank the fire and rescue crews for their diligence in responding to this incident, as well as the Army's 68th Medical Company for assisting in the retrieval and the Kauai Hospice for their ongoing support of all involved."

Kauai Hospice has had numerous volunteers at the staging areas for the past four days, keeping family members completely informed with the latest information without having to be at the scene.

Tom Finnegan, staff writer, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

Avon man, friend aboard missing copter

Avon man, friend aboard missing copter

Avon man, friend aboard missing copter

Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Catherine Gabe
Plain Dealer Reporter
It's a long way from Northeast Ohio to the spectacularly craggy Hawaiian island called Kauai. But prayers traversed the miles as family, friends and co-workers hoped for the safe return of Thomas Huemmer, a 36-year-old Avon lawyer, and his 30-year-old girlfriend, Tamara Zytkowski of Avon, a Cleveland Clinic nurse.

But late Monday, the Associated Press was reporting that bodies of four of the five passengers on board had been recovered, and that all on board were presumed dead.


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The couple had taken a sight-seeing helicopter tour, a popular vantage point for viewing the island jewel. But the 45-minute flight Friday with Huemmer and his girlfriend never returned, according to members of the girlfriend's family, who were vacationing with the couple.

Instead, officials said, it slammed into a 2,700-foot high mountain.

The wreckage was not officially spotted until 2 p.m. Saturday, said Cyndi Mei Ozaki, public information officer for Kauai County.

Huemmer's father, Frank, said the girlfriend's parents called him Saturday morning with the news: They and their other daughter had just returned from a helicopter tour, and were waiting for Thomas and Zytkowski's helicopter to return. It never did.

Throughout the weekend, rescue efforts were continually hampered by the rain, mist and hurricane-force winds that buffet the island heights, said Bob Kaden, battalion fire chief who helped with the rescue effort. A U.S. Army helicopter was being dispatched to assist in the rescue effort Monday.

Kaden believes all five on board, including the pilot and a German couple, must have perished in the crash.

"I just don't think there is any hope for survival because of the severe impact and the burning that occurred, along with the obvious conditions of the some of the bodies that can be viewed," Kaden said.

Before hearing that rescuers had recovered the bodies Monday, Frank Huemmer, of Brecksville, said, "We are hurt very badly, but we are also hopeful." He said an Internet picture of the crash site made it appear as if the fuselage was nestled in trees, which may have softened the blow.

"Maybe, possibly, they might be OK," he said quietly over the telephone. "The odds are not good, but we are hoping and praying."

Similarly 70 co-workers at Wickens Herzer Panza, Cook & Batista in Avon remained optimistic.

The firm held an impromptu morning meeting. "This company is a family and we wanted our family to deal with this together by focusing our thoughts, prayers and hopes on Thomas and the others," said David Herzer, president.

Huemmer was expected back at work sometime this week, Herzer said.

Huemmer graduated from St. Ignatius High School in 1986, Villanova University in 1990 and received his law degree from Case Western Reserve University in 1994. His birthday is Oct. 5.

The helicopter was run by the Bali Hai Helicopter Tours, Kaden said. When the company was contacted, a person answering the phone said, "We have no comment," and hung up.

Plain Dealer reporter John P. Coyne contributed to this story.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

cgabe@plaind.com, 1-800-767-2821

Couple missing after Hawaii copter crash

The Morning Journal

Couple missing after Hawaii copter crash

MIKE SAKAL , Morning Journal Writer 09/27/2004

Thomas J. Huemmer, 36, a lawyer from the firm of Wickens Herzer Panza Cook & Batista in Avon, and his girlfriend, a 30-year-old Westlake woman, are among five people missing after a helicopter crash on a mountainside on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Friday evening, Huemmer's father, Frank Huemmer of Brecksville, confirmed yesterday.

Frank Huemmer said he received a phone call from his son's girlfriend's father about 2 p.m. Saturday informing him that authorities on Kauai were going to launch a search and rescue mission for the helicopter and those on it.

''We're all praying, and we hope everyone else is, too,'' Frank Huemmer said last night. ''It's a very serious, grim situation.

''The helicopter took off about 4 p.m. Friday and was scheduled to return at 4:45. At 6:05 p.m., when they still weren't back, it was determined that there was a problem,'' Huemmer said.

The call came soon after authorities discovered the crash site, Huemmer said, and the family and colleagues of Huemmer are hoping and praying that all five of the people on the helicopter will be found alive.

However, search and rescue efforts by the Kauai Fire Department have been hindered since Friday because of heavy winds and rain and difficulty navigating the rugged terrain where the helicopter crashed at a 2,700-foot elevation, according to Kauai acting fire Chief Bob Kaden.

The crash site is sloped on a 60-degree angle on a remote mountainside over ''very rugged terrain'' along the Hahilia Mountain Range north of Kapalaoa Point, about eight miles north of Port Allen Harbor, Kaden said.

The exact time of the crash is not known.

However, Kaden said someone who reviewed the crash site from the air, described the crash as one with ''severe impact.''

Huemmer, who lives in Avon, and his girlfriend were vacationing in Hawaii with his girlfriend's parents and were on the helicopter for a 45-minute sight-seeing tour, Frank Huemmer said.

The girlfriend's parents and her sister were on a first helicopter ride, which returned from the sight-seeing tour, but the second trip, which Huemmer and his girlfriend were on, didn't return, Frank Huemmer said.

Huemmer, who grew up in Brecksville, is a 1986 graduate of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, his father said.

Huemmer also graduated with honors from Villanova University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in liberal studies before getting his law degree from Case Western Reserve in 1994.

Huemmer, who had worked with the Cook and Batista law firm, has worked as a litigation attorney for Wickens Herzer Panza Cook & Batista since the Wickens, Herzer and Panza firm merged with it three years ago, said lawyer Richard D. Panza. Huemmer is a member of the Lorain County and Ohio State bar associations, according to his firm's Web site.

Frank Huemmer declined to provide the name of his son's girlfriend, citing her privacy.

The Bali Hai Helicopter Tours helicopter left Burns Field at Hanapepe near Port Allen at 4:05 p.m. Friday, according to Cyndi Ozaki, a spokeswoman for Kauai County.

The tour helicopter was headed to the Na Pali Coast, Hanalei Valley, Mount Waialeale crater and Hanapepe Valley, Ozaki said.

Recovery efforts began at 6 a.m. yesterday but were called off at 1:10 p.m. because of heavy winds, Kaden said. The Kauai Island Fire Department is waiting on helicopter assistance from the U.S. Army base on Oahu, Kaden said.

Recovery efforts should resume early today, Kaden said.

''At this point, we have suspended the recovery efforts,'' Kaden said. ''We are extremely disappointed that that we weren't able to complete recovery. We feel bad for the families of those on the helicopter. We just feel that the weather conditions have created a situation beyond our capabilities, and we would like to stay within the means of safety.

''We are trying to insert some of our men near the site, about a quarter mile from it, but we don't know if our aircraft can handle the conditions,'' Kaden added. ''We have a Hughes 500 aircraft, but we are trying to enlist the help of a AH-60 Medovac helicopter from the U.S. Army that is similar in style to a Black Hawk helicopter. They may not be able to assist us until Monday morning, but, when they do, we'll be using our men.''

Huemmer said he and his wife, Carole, have been looking at the Internet and following news of the crash, and he said he was hopeful after seeing a photograph of the crash sight in yesterday's Internet edition of the Honolulu Advertiser newspaper.

''When I read Saturday's story about the crash, it said that the helicopter was burned beyond recognition,'' Huemmer said. ''When I saw the article on the Internet from Sunday's paper, the picture of the crash site clearly shows the helicopter's fuselage.

''Seeing the picture in Sunday's Honolulu Advertiser gives us more hope that maybe some miracle may happen,'' Huemmer added. ''The crash site didn't look as bad as they described. We are clinging on to hope.''

Ozaki said yesterday that the island's fire department's efforts are being called a recovery mission.

''We're calling it a recovery mission, but we're always hopeful that there are survivors,'' Ozaki said.

None of the authorities on Kauai would release any of the names of the passengers of the helicopter or the pilot's name.

However, Ozaki said those on the plane were a 36-year-old man and 30-year-old woman, both from the United States, a German couple and the pilot.

A man who answered the phone at Bali Hai Helicopter Tours in Hawaii yesterday declined to comment.

Lawyer Dave Wiersma, Huemmer's colleague at Wickens Herzer Panza Cook & Batista, said that Huemmer ''is a fine young man and an excellent lawyer.''

Dave Herzer, attorney for Wickens Herzer Panza Cook & Batista, provided a statement from the firm.

''Tom is a great young man, and a wonderful lawyer,'' Herzer said. ''As an entire firm, we are hoping and praying by some miracle they are all still alive. Our prayers, love and hope go out to all of the family and friends of those who were on the helicopter.

ABCNEWS.com : Wind Hampers Helicopter Crash Rescue

ABCNEWS.com : Wind Hampers Helicopter Crash Rescue

PORT ALLEN, Hawaii Sept. 27, 2004 — Wind up to 60 mph prevented helicopters from lowering rescue workers to the wreckage of a tour helicopter that crashed in a remote mountainous area of Kauai.
County officials said the military was asked for a more powerful helicopter so that another attempt could be made Monday to reach the Bell 206B helicopter that crashed Friday with five people on board.

"This wreckage is located at about 2,700 feet on about a 60-degree slope," fire department battalion chief Bob Kaden said Sunday. "So we want to be safe."

Officials said they did not know whether there were survivors, but said the aircraft burst into flames after crashing into a ridge. On board were the pilot, a 36-year-old man, a 30-year-old woman and a German couple, officials said. Their names have not been released.

The helicopter, which belonged to Bali Hai Helicopter Tours, was reported missing Friday after failing to return from a tour on time, officials said. A crew on a Coast Guard helicopter spotted the crash site Saturday.

The pilot formerly flew with India's air force and had flown tours for two months, said Coast Guard Lt. Danny Shaw. The helicopter was about 26 years old, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

In July 2003, five people were killed when a tour helicopter operated by a different company crashed in central Kauai.

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News

Honolulu Star-Bulletin Hawaii News




VIDEO IMAGE COURTESY OF KITV
A Bali Hai tour helicopter carrying five people apparently slammed into a cliff in cloudy weather Friday on Kauai.


Copter wreck found
Overcast conditions delay recovery
operations but all five aboard
are believed to be dead

By Mary Vorsino and Anthony Sommer
mvorsino@starbulletin.com, tsommer@starbulletin.com
PORT ALLEN, Kauai » Weather permitting, rescue crews were expected to return today to the wreckage of a tour helicopter that apparently crashed into a fern-covered cliff in south Kauai with five people on board.

Kauai Fire Department rescuers said they did not expect anyone survived the crash. Debris was scattered upwards of the impact site on a near-vertical cliff about 3,000 feet above sea level, suggesting the pilot tried to pull up just before impact, rescuers said.

"Everything was charred and the ferns all around it had burned. It looked like a bad bonfire," said Kauai Fire Department rescue specialist Ehren Edwards, who saw the wreckage from the air. "He (the pilot) basically went right into the mountain."

A Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter located the wreckage of the Bell 206B helicopter, operated by Bali Hai Helicopter Tours, at 2 p.m. yesterday about eight miles north of its home base at Port Allen.

The helicopter took off Friday afternoon for an hourlong circle-island tour and was likely near the end of its flight when it crashed, officials said.

Edwards said the crash was about 200 feet below a ridgeline, which rescuers may have to descend to get to the craft today.

Officials declined to release the identities of those aboard the craft. However, Kauai Fire Department spokeswoman Cyndy Mei Ozaki did say that two of the passengers were a couple from Germany.

The other two passengers were a 35-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman from the mainland. Ozaki said the parents of the woman were believed to have taken the same helicopter tour Friday, but earlier in the afternoon.



ANTHONY SOMMER / TSOMMER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Kauai Fire Department rescue specialist Ehren Edwards, center, briefed fellow firefighters yesterday after a look at the wreckage of the Bali Hai helicopter in rugged terrain north of Port Allen. Edwards said it looked as though the helicopter flew straight into the mountain and caught fire after burying itself in the dirt.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Coast Guard Lt. Danny Shaw said the helicopter's pilot was formerly with the Indian air force and had been flying solo tours with Bali Hai for about two months after a one-month training period on Kauai.
Bali Hai Helicopter Tours, which is based in Hanapepe, declined to comment yesterday on the crash or those onboard. The tour company has been in business since 1986 -- flying several sightseeing tours a day -- and has never had a fatal crash.

The downed craft did not have an electronic locator transmitter, which Shaw said is required for most tour operators and may have helped rescuers find the helicopter faster.

He said Bali Hai had a Federal Aviation Administration waiver from the transmitter regulation.

Kauai Fire Department officials said the area where the helicopter was found was covered with dense clouds earlier in the day, and not visible from above.

Edwards said he had about a minute to survey the crash before the thick clouds closed back in. About 5 p.m. yesterday, both the fire department and Coast Guard suspended operations, saying the clouds near the crash site had shut down hopes of getting to the helicopter before sunset.

"It's not safe for our personnel to be dropped in there," Ozaki said.

Shaw said in a news conference yesterday that the tour helicopter left Port Allen about 4 p.m. Friday and was scheduled to return an hour later, after completing a tour that flew over the Na Pali coast, Hanalei and near Mount Waialeale.

The helicopter, which was mostly white with a prominent rainbow design, was last spotted halfway through its flight by someone in a radar tower at Kokee State Park, Shaw said.


PHOTO COURTESY PETER STALDER
The helicopter, pictured in this undated photograph, was built in 1978.



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National Weather Service forecaster Maureen Ballard said satellite images showed clouds were over the area where the craft went down Friday afternoon, which may have affected visibility from the helicopter.
FAA officials notified the Coast Guard at 6 p.m. Friday that the helicopter had not returned to Port Allen and was presumed down. A Coast Guard and Kauai Fire Department search started just after 6 p.m. and was called off about 8:30 p.m. because of low visibility.

At sunrise yesterday, the search resumed with a Coast Guard C-130 and HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, and Department of Defense and Kauai Fire Department helicopters. More than eight private helicopter tour operators also helped in the search.

National Transportation Safety Board investigator Nicole Charnon said she expected to fly to Kauai last night to gather maintenance and other records on the helicopter.

She said she would also consult with the Kauai Fire Department to determine whether investigators could hike to the helicopter's wreckage site, or whether the craft would have to be airlifted elsewhere for an examination.

FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the agency would also do its own investigation, which would start as soon as the agency's personnel get to Kauai.

NTSB records show Bali Hai bought the helicopter in 1989. It was built 11 years earlier, according to the NTSB.

Shaw had no details on the craft's maintenance records, and the NTSB did not show it to have been involved in any other crashes.

On Kauai yesterday, most tour operators put their businesses on hold to help in the search.

Chuck DiPiazza, owner of Air Kauai Helicopters, said two of his helicopters were in the air for more than 10 hours trying to locate the craft.

"It's a small industry," he said. "We're all competitors. But when something like this happens, we certainly all band together here to do everything that's possible."

Heli USA Airways also helped in the search. John Dower, vice president of the company's sales and marketing, said all of the island's tour operators are saddened by the crash.

"Our condolences go out to ... (the families) of the pilot and the passengers," he said.

Another record visitor count

Another record visitor count

August set another record for domestic visitor arrivals in the state, according to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.

For the year 2004, the visitor headcount has been setting new records in nearly every month, by the DBEDT’s counts, which is now beginning to squeeze isle visitor accommodations.

After months and months of upbeat business, Lani Correa, the executive director of the Maui Hotel Association, says that “staffing for some properties has been very challenging, especially with our unemployment rate very low.”

People sometimes ask her for help finding rooms, and even with her connections, she says, often it’s a matter of “three nights here, two there,” because hotels are running so full.

Maui welcomed a total of 217,334 visitors in August, which was 0.4 percent below the total of August 2003.

Domestic arrivals were down even more, by 1.5 percent to 189,801, but international arrivals were up 7.8 percent to 27,633.

Maui island ran about even with the year before – which also was very busy – but Molokai and Lanai continue to report big drops in traffic. The smaller islands are being affected by the overall difficulties of interisland air travel.

For example, Japanese group tours are finding it difficult to include the small islands because they may need several dozen seats on one flight, and air routes don’t often provide that kind of excess capacity. As a result, arrivals at the Friendly and Pineapple islands are down a quarter for the year.

By contrast, Maui island’s arrivals are up 1.2 percent overall to more than 1.5 million for the first eight months, the DBEDT monthly report said. That’s the smallest percentage increase in the state, but only because Maui was ahead for the past two years.

Those other counties are rapidly catching up, especially Oahu, which has welcomed just under 3 million visitors so far.

That re-establishes one of the fundamental ratios of island tourism: Oahu outdraws Maui by two to one, and Maui equals Hawaii and Kauai combined.

The latter relationship holds true so far this year. Maui’s 1.5 million is almost exactly equal to the 1.55 million count on the other two Neighbor Island counties this year.

In August, the entire state received 459,561 domestic visitors, an all-time record for the month; and 645,543 total visitors. The total was a 2.9 percent gain over August 2003. However, total visitor-days dropped by 2.1 percent. This may have been partly a result of strengthening Japanese traffic; Asian visitors don’t stay as long.

Hawaii County welcomed 119,607 tourists, up 3.8 percent; and Kauai 94,915, down 1.1 percent.

Central Pacific Financial Corp. and CB Bancshares, Inc. Shareholders Approve Bank Merger

Central Pacific Financial Corp. and CB Bancshares, Inc. Shareholders Approve Bank Merger
Monday September 13, 5:39 pm ET
Parent Companies of Central Pacific Bank and City Bank Expected to Merge on September 15, 2004

HONOLULU, Sept. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Central Pacific Financial Corp. (NYSE: CPF - News) and CB Bancshares, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBBI - News) announced today that shareholders of both companies have approved the proposed merger of the two companies at their respective shareholder meetings held today.

Clint Arnoldus, Chairman, President and CEO of Central Pacific Financial Corp., said, "We are very pleased with the outcome of today's votes and appreciate the support shareholders, customers and employees have shown throughout this process. Today marks a historic step forward and we are focused on strengthening our position in this highly competitive market, building the best community bank serving Hawaii."

Ronald Migita, President and CEO of CB Bancshares, Inc., added, "We sincerely appreciate our shareholders' support and look forward to building a combined bank that will deliver added value to both new and longstanding shareholders of CPF as well as the customers, employees and communities that we will serve."

The following voting results were reported with respect to the proposed merger: approximately 81.34% and 80.37% of the issued and outstanding shares of Central Pacific Financial Corp. and CB Bancshares, Inc., respectively, voted "FOR" the proposal to approve the merger agreement, exceeding the requirements of Hawaii law. 96.8% of the CPF shares that were voted, voted in favor of the merger proposal and 94.7% of the CBBI shares that were voted, voted in favor of the merger proposal.

Other proposals on the CPF shareholder ballot that were approved today include: an amendment to CPF's Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of common shares authorized for issuance to 100 million shares; the CPF 2004 Stock Compensation Plan; and the CPF 2004 Annual Executive Incentive Plan.

The merger is scheduled to close on September 15, 2004. Central Pacific Financial Corp. will be the surviving corporation and will operate two bank subsidiaries, Central Pacific Bank and City Bank, until it merges the banks under the Central Pacific name. The merger consideration to be received by CBBI shareholders will be approximately $20 in cash plus 2.6752 shares of CPF common stock for each share of CBBI common stock, or a value of $96.24 per CBBI share based on the closing price of CPF stock as of September 10, 2004. CBBI shareholders had the opportunity to elect cash and/or shares of CPF common stock, subject to proration, and will receive their consideration based on an aggregate pool of cash and stock available.

Upon completion of the merger, Clint Arnoldus will serve as Chief Executive Officer and Ronald Migita will serve as Chairman of the Board of the new combined company. As previously announced, Central Pacific Financial Corp. plans to consolidate bank branches in overlapping areas and begin opening new branches in under-served areas of Hawaii as part of its long-range plans. Currently, Central Pacific and City Bank operate 23 and 22 branches, respectively, in the State of Hawaii on four islands. "The merger provides us with an opportunity and the resources to expand our banking services into communities not being served by either bank through the consolidation of overlapping branches," said Arnoldus.

Central Pacific also reiterated its commitment to no involuntary layoffs as a result of the merger, and further indicated that all current branch employees will have the opportunity to remain in the combined branch network.

Central Pacific Financial Corp., is a Hawaii-based bank holding company which will have upon the closing date of the merger, $4.4 billion in assets, providing a full range of banking, investment and trust services for businesses and retail customers through its principal subsidiaries, Central Pacific Bank and, after the merger, City Bank. Central Pacific Bank is Hawaii's third largest commercial bank with 23 branches statewide and nearly 80 ATMs. City Bank is Hawaii's fourth largest commercial bank with 22 branches on the islands of Oahu, Hawaii, Maui and Kauai.

This document contains forward-looking statements. Such statements include, but are not limited to, (i) statements about the benefits of a merger between Central Pacific Financial Corp. ("CPF") and CB Bancshares, Inc. ("CBBI"), including future financial and operating results, costs savings and accretion to reported and cash earnings that may be realized from such merger; (ii) statements with respect to CPF's plans, objectives, expectations and intentions and other statements that are not historical facts; and (iii) other statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and other similar expressions. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

CPF has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 to register shares of CPF common stock to be issued in this transaction. The registration statement includes a definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus for solicitation of proxies from CPF and CBBI shareholders, in connection with meetings on the date hereof. Investors and security holders are urged to read the registration statement and the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus and any other relevant documents filed with the SEC, as well as any amendments or supplements to those documents, because they contain important information. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of documents filed with the SEC at the SEC's Internet web site at (www.sec.gov). Such documents may also be obtained free of charge from CPF by directing such request to: Central Pacific Financial Corp., 220 South King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, Attention: David Morimoto, (808) 544-0627; or from CBBI by directing such request to: CB Bancshares, Inc., 201 Merchant Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, Attention: Investor Relations, (808) 535-2500.

Greg Markus

Greg Markus: "Greg Markus
Tuesday, September 7, 2004
Occupation: Professor of political science and research professor, Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.
Education: BA, San Diego State University, 1970; Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1975.
Age: 55.
Where you call home: Burns Park in Ann Arbor.
Family: Wife TeDee Theofil, Ann Arbor native, founder-owner of Studio 1 School of Dance, and artistic director, Dance Ensemble of Michigan (DEMI). Daughter Jamie Markus, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pet, Kona, a 9-year-old Labrador retriever.
What you do to relax: Travel. Our needs are few and simple, and we search for bargains.
The perfect day: On Kauai's north shore with local coffee, fruit and muffins for breakfast followed by a long walk along Hanalei Bay, a swim in the afternoon, and dinner on the porch at Postcards Cafe.
Community involvement: Pro bono organizer with MOSES (Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength) based in Detroit; service on the board of the Dance Ensemble of Michigan."

Hootie brings ads back to Masters

Hootie brings ads back to Masters
The PGA Grand Slam of Golf has been rescheduled for Nov. 23-24 at Poipu Bay Golf Course at Kauai, Hawaii. The tournament features the winners of this year's four majors: Phil Mickelson (Masters), Retief Goosen (U.S. Open), Todd Hamilton (British Open) and Vijay Singh (PGA). The tournament originally was scheduled for Dec. 3-4"

A&B hikes stake in Kauai resort development

A&B hikes stake in Kauai resort development
- 2004-09-01 - Pacific Business News (Honolulu

A&B hikes stake in Kauai resort development
Alexander & Baldwin Inc. is increasing its equity investment and ownership in the Kukuiula project, a 1,000-acre master-planned residential resort community on Kauai that was re-entitled in July.


A&B currently anticipates investing between $50 and $75 million in Kukuiula over the next three to four years, after which the project's capital needs are expected to be funded by cash flows from property sales, the company said Tuesday.

Kukuiula is on Kauai's southern coast between Poipu and the Lawai Valley. The project is zoned for the development of up to 1,500 units, an 18-hole golf course and commercial uses. The plan includes donation of a 20-acre park and bayfront land for recreational use, employee housing, hike and bike trails, and money for roads.

Development is planned to take 10 to 15 years with infrastructure construction beginning next year. In April 2002, A&B, which owned the 1,000 acres, entered into a joint venture with DMB, a Scottsdale, Ariz., developer of resort communities, for the joint development of the project.

"DMB usually teams with landowners who contribute only the land to the venture," A&B President Allen Doane said, "but, because of our confidence in both the project and our partner, and with Hawaii's resort residential market expected to continue to perform strongly, A&B elected to increase its equity participation and ownership interest in the project."