HANALEI, Kauai -- Researchers studying global warming will try again this month to install a controversial underwater "boom box" eight miles north of Kauai. ‘Boom box’ researchers
will try again north of KauaiThe 12,000-pound sound source has been lying on its side in about 2,500 feet of water since Oct. 21, when a line snapped and it fell to the ocean floor while being lowered from a ship.
"Our best guess is it's probably in good shape, but we haven't been able to get down with an ROV (remote operated vehicle) to check it out," said Peter Worcester, principal investigator for the Acoustic Thermometry of Ocean Climate project.
He expects to have that chance sometime this month when the Laney Chouest, a Navy-chartered vessel equipped with an ROV and submersible, is brought into waters off Kauai. A date has not been set for the work, which could last "a few days or a few weeks."
Crews will attach a line to the tripod-shaped device to bring it to the surface, where it will be inspected and repaired, if necessary, and then lowered back to the sea floor, Worcester said.
The sound source will not become operational before October, he said. But two marine mammal researchers also will be on board this month to ensure that limited engineering transmissions -- conducted to ensure the device is working -- have no impact on sea mammals. "It's really bending over backward to be careful."
Adam Frankel, who runs the marine mammal research program for Hawaii, said he expects "little interference with marine mammals. The whales are gone and ... research shows dolphins' low-frequency hearing is really awful."
Still, animals in the area will be observed from the ship by day, he said, and a remote hydrophone will be used to monitor marine animals around the clock.
You were ticketed for a traffic violation and ordered to pay a fine. But you haven't made the payment, and a bench warrant has been issued for your arrest. Owe a traffic fine? It's safe
to drive down to courtListen up, Project Clean Slate is for you.
The project was announced by the state Judiciary yesterday, and offers a one-time deal: Make the delinquent payment in cash by Aug. 31, and the bench warrant will be set aside automatically.
No court costs. No criminal contempt-of-court charges. No possibility of jail or more fines if convicted of contempt.
The amnesty program arises because of a measure signed by Gov. Ben Cayetano June 16 that authorizes the Judiciary to assess a graduated series of penalties for delinquent payments, said Judge Marcia Waldorf, District Court administrative judge on Oahu.
The Judiciary introduced the proposal in the state Legislature this year, and expects to implement the new law sometime around the end of August.
"Since we kind of were instrumental in changing the rules of the game, we thought we would give people the opportunity to avoid those assessments," Waldorf said.
For more information about Project Clean Slate, including delinquent tickets, call:
Oahu: 538-5777
A waste processing plant on state land in Waimanalo is a health threat to its neighbors, not just from the stench of decomposing organic matter, but from insects and infectious bacteria and viruses, according to a lawsuit filed yesterday. Neighbors file suit
over waste treatmentJoseph N.A. Ryan Jr. and his wife, Tamara A., asked the state court to stop the operation of Unisyn Biowaste Technology on 21 acres of agriculturally zoned land.
The Ryans, who operate Hilltop Equestrian Centre near the Unisyn facility on Waikupanaha Street, also asked for unspecified monetary damages.
The suit also named the state, the city, leaseholder Borden/Meadow Gold Dairies and other corporations involved in the waste processing plant. The suit claims that the state and city have been negligent by allowing the plant to operate without necessary permits.
The Ryans called for return of the lease rent they have paid since the plant opened in 1995, charging the state breached its lease covenant with them by allowing the operation.
Unisyn operates with a permit from the state Department of Health but has been repeatedly fined because it lacks a city conditional use permit to operate a major composting facility. A bill that would have allowed composting on state agricultural land failed in the recent Legislature.
Officials could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Unisyn has said in the past that the plant is not health-threatening. General Manager Matt Lyum told the Star-Bulletin earlier this year that "we have done extra testing to ensure that nothing we do is harmful to our workers or nearby residents."
A Circuit Court jury this morning found a 29-year-old man guilty of murdering a Minnesota tourist in 1993, rejecting his claim that he ran out of the woman's room without realizing he had stabbed her. Jury finds man guilty
of murder of visitorJurors convicted Brian Luton as charged of second-degree murder in the death of Joanna Larson-Hammink on April 26, 1993, in her hotel room at the Aston Waikikian on the Beach.
They also found him guilty of first-degree burglary in the incident, in which he said he entered her unlocked room only to steal but not murder.
"He said he went to steal and not kill, but the jury saw his intention changed when he saw a female sleeping on the bed," said Deputy Prosecutor Maurice Arrisgado.
Arrisgado argued that Hammink may have reacted when she heard her husband and daughter return to the room, causing Luton to stab her.
Judge Herbert Shimabukuro set Luton's sentencing for Aug. 28.
He faces a life sentence with parole for murder and 10 years for the burglary.
Arrisgado said Luton, who was on probation for a sex-assault conviction at the time of the incident, could be sentenced as a repeat offender and get consecutive sentences. He also said he would ask for a 50-year minimum before the Hawaii Paroling Authority.
But Deputy Public Defender William Jameson said Luton didn't intend to kill Hammink and feels extreme remorse for her death. He also said he would oppose a 50-year minimum, saying Luton has sincerely changed, now participates in the prison's ministry and is no longer dangerous.
Jameson said he would appeal the case but also didn't fault the jury, which deliberated for 11/2 days before reaching its verdict.
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.
Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffOne man was killed and another was injured today when a Volkswagen Beetle slammed into the back of a parked garbage truck at 4:30 a.m. on Funchal Street, behind Kawananakoa Intermediate School. One killed, one injured
when car hits trash truckPolice said the driver of the Volkswagen was killed in the crash, and a worker standing on the back of the garbage truck was taken to Kaiser Moanalua Hospital with two broken legs.
Police have not identified the dead man, but they said he was in his 50s. Investigators do not know if speed was a factor in the accident.
Funchal Street, which leads to the Pali Highway, was closed for more than two hours after the crash.
Other Police/Fire headlines
in today’s Star-Bulletin:
- Skeleton identified; foul play suspected
- Bullet nicks man's head at his home in Waipahu
- Two boys are suspected of starting Waianae fire
See expanded coverage in today's Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
See our [Info] section for subscription information.
