Activists ring alarm on Navy
KAILUA-KONA -- Whale lovers are ringing alarm bells over Navy plans to make loud underwater sounds near endangered humpback whales in Kona waters.
sound tests in whale areaBut project officials say they will take care while learning whether the sounds bother the animals.
An informational meeting on an environmental study for the project, called low frequency active sonar, or LFA, is set for 10 a.m. tomorrow at Kealakehe Elementary School. The project is scheduled for late this month or early March.
Volunteers with Pennsylvania-based Ocean Mammal Institute are circulating notices of the meeting, saying scientists will be broadcasting "incredibly loud" underwater sounds.
"Too loud to allow -- Help keep the oceans quiet," the flier reads.
Chris Clark, an animal communications specialist at Cornell University in New York, says the critics' description is incomplete and contains misinterpretations.
The Navy is developing low frequency active sonar (LFA) as a means of detecting submarines, which have been engineered in the past decade to become extremely quiet, he said.
When Clark learned about the project, he urged the Navy to study its effects on whales before going ahead, he said.
Although critics say the intended sounds are much louder than a jumbo jet taking off, Clark says readings in air and water, although both are measured in decibels, are completely different. A given decibel level in the water is quieter than its land-based equivalent, he said.
Marsha Green, Ocean Mammal Institute director, says the opposite: A measurement in the water is much stronger.
Minivan driver tries to kidnap girl in Kona
KAILUA-KONA -- Police are looking for a man who tried to kidnap a schoolgirl after she was dropped off by a school bus on Hawaii Belt Road in South Kona yesterday afternoon.The girl told police that a minivan pulled up and the driver called to her.
When she walked over, the man pulled her inside, but she fought her way free. She described the van as old, light blue, with scratches and shiny spots.
She said the attacker had dark skin, was stocky, with a mustache and a husky voice.
Anyone with information is asked to call police at 326-4233 or CrimeStoppers at 329-8181.
Dentist faces charges on $45,000 in taxes
A Honolulu dentist has been indicted on federal tax evasion charges.Yesterday's three-count indictment alleges that Ronald S. Carlson, 55, owes the Internal Revenue Service about $45,000 for unpaid taxes on taxable income of more than $190,000 from 1991-93.
Carlson is also accused of depositing income into bank accounts that were opened under his name with false social security numbers.
If convicted, he could receive a five-year prison sentence for each count and also be fined.
Black Sands brush fire takes overnight effort
PAHOA -- Firefighters worked on fire breaks throughout the night to halt a stubborn brush fire that blackened at least 100 acres near the Black Sands subdivision.The fire appeared to be deliberately set, said the Hawaii County Fire Department.
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Police/Fire
By Star-Bulletin staffMan arrested for threat to kill YMCA manager
Police yesterday arrested a 31-year-old man for allegedly threatening to kill the manager of the Atkinson Drive YMCA.The suspect, who has a lengthy criminal record, was evicted from the YMCA last year.
He returned several times between December 1997 and early this week to threaten the manager, police said.
Waianae man allegedly stabs roommate in leg
Police last night arrested a Waianae man, 44, for attempted murder for allegedly stabbing his roommate.The suspect demanded his roommate, 60, leave their Mill Street apartment after an argument, police said. The victim left but remained on the stairs. The suspect then came out and stabbed him in the right leg at 9:30 p.m., police said. The victim is in satisfactory condition at Queen's Hospital.
Identity of man injured in accident still unknown
LIHUE -- The identity of a man who lost his left arm in a traffic accident Saturday is still a mystery.Kauai police want to know who he is because the truck he was driving at the time of the accident near Hanalei River was stolen, said police Lt. Martin Curnan.
The man remains in critical condition at Queen's Hospital, said a hospital spokesman yesterday.
He is described as Caucasian, 5 feet 8 inches, 130 pounds with short brown hair and a goatee.
Feds say four suspects part of 'ice' conspiracy
Federal drug agents have arrested four suspects in connection with conspiracy to distribute more than 100 grams of "ice."Two Kalihi men, 39 and 40, and a Los Angeles man, 24, are being held at police headquarters after their arrest 6 p.m. Wednesday outside the Sports Authority on Ward Avenue. A Makiki woman, 19, was released due to lack of evidence, said agents. More than 100 grams of "ice" worth more than $20,000 was seized in the arrest.
In other news . . .
Two people died yesterday in separate accidents on Molokai. Police said a visitor died after crashing a hang glider in a mountainous area mauka of Hoolehua at 12:43 p.m. Last night, a Molokai man died in a pickup truck accident.
Police said Matsumoto, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, drowned.
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