Newswatch Star-Bulletin staff and wire service

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Hannemann to talk transit on D.C. trip

Tourism and mass transit are on the agenda for Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in Washington, D.C., this week.

Hannemann will address a gathering of travel industry and government leaders at the 6th annual Global Travel and Tourism Summit, according to a city news release.

He will also meet with federal transportation officials to talk about Honolulu's progress in developing a mass transit system for Oahu.

Hannemann's trip lasts from tomorrow through Wednesday.

Hannemann will be speaking on "A Leader's Perspective" as part of a session on "Destination Stories: Sharing Knowledge and Looking Ahead" at the tourism summit.

The meeting brings together leaders of the world's top travel and tourism companies, foreign tourism and health ministers, senior U.S. officials and journalists from around the world, the city said.

"I want to use this as an opportunity to promote Hawaii tourism and to make it clear to the world that we have weathered our recent problems," Hannemann said in the written release. "The beaches are open again and the Kona low system that generated all that rain has moved on."

The U.S. Conference of Mayors, which is a member of the Travel Business Roundtable, is underwriting the cost of the trip.

Police, Fire, Courts Star-Bulletin staff

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NORTH SHORE

Woman dies after van crash in Kahuku

A 39-year-old woman died yesterday after losing control of a white 1994 van on Kamehameha Highway in Kahuku and hitting a tree, police said.

Police said the woman was driving erratically on the highway about 1:45 p.m., when she lost control. Witnesses told police she was speeding and passing drivers.

She hit a tree on the west side of the roadway, less than a mile south of Adams Road. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said alcohol may have been a factor in the crash. She was not wearing a seat belt.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Man dies after car plunges off highway

A 63-year-old man died late Friday after his sedan lost control on Akoni Pule Highway, veered off the side of the road and dropped about 15 feet into a gulch below, Big Island police said.

The accident happened about 10:42 p.m. as the man was traveling northbound on the highway in a 1991 Honda near the 14-mile marker. The man was taken to the Kona Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The traffic fatality is the 13th on the Big Island this year, compared to 11 at the same time in 2005.

HONOLULU

Police seek van driver after hit-and-run

Police are looking for an older model white van that hit a 30-year-old mo-ped driver on Friday night and then fled the scene.

The crash happened about 8:25 p.m. after the van turned onto Lauhala Street from Lusitana Street. The victim, who was traveling in the opposite direction, was taken to the Queen's Medical Center in critical condition, but later upgraded to serious condition.

Police said the mo-ped driver lost control after the head-on crash and slid onto the roadway. He was not wearing a helmet.

The white van stopped momentarily, witnesses told police, and then fled the scene. Police had no description of the driver, but a young girl was seen in the front passenger's seat.

WINDWARD OAHU

Kailua car repair shop is damaged in blaze

Honolulu firefighters extinguished a blaze at a Kailua car repair shop before it spread to the parked vehicle on the property Friday night.

Witnesses reported seeing smoke coming out of the second story of a building on the property at 39 Hoolai St., where Sumida's Auto Body is located. While firefighters responded police closed down Hoolai, Kainehe, Kihapai and Uluniu streets to all motor vehicle traffic.

Firefighters got flames under control by 10:26 p.m. and said the only damage was to the second-story floor of the building. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.