|
Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff
and wire service
|
Hokule'a's destination in sight
ABOARD THE HOKULE'A » The Hokule'a and Alingano Maisu spotted Satawal at 3 p.m. today (yesterday Hawaii time), completing their voyage to visit and honor renowned Micronesian navigator Mau Piailug.
The crews of both double-hulled sailing canoes were expected to meet with the chief of Satawal, then conduct a ceremony today to deliver the Alingano Maisu to Piailug.
They will also initiate new navigators into the sailing tradition, including Hokule'a captain Nainoa Thompson, in a ceremony that has not been performed since the 1920s.
The three-day trip from Chuuk has been a test of way-finding, including nights without stars or moon when the crews steered by the wind and waves.
The conditions have been rough, with 8- to 10-foot swells.
Endangered species up for review
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is reviewing the threatened or endangered status of 69 plant and animal species in the Pacific islands, of which 64 are in Hawaii.
The species to be reviewed include one bat, one snail, one insect, 10 birds and 56 plants. The birds include the Hawaiian crow, Hawaiian duck, Hawaiian hawk, Oahu elepaio, palila honeycreeper and small Kauai thrush.
The status review is to determine whether a species' classification as threatened or endangered is still appropriate. A species could be recommended for reclassification from endangered to threatened, from threatened to endangered, or for removal from the federal list of threatened and endangered species.
More information on where to submit comments and information for the review can be found in the March 8 Federal Register. More information on each of the species can be found at www.fws.gov/endangered/wildlife.html.
A 60-day public comment period continues until May 7.
Pothole repairs to shut onramp
The H-1 freeway loop onramp from the Ulune Street extension in Halawa will be closed for four hours Saturday morning for pothole repairs.
Motorists will be directed to the Halawa Valley Road service ramp from 8 a.m. to noon to get on the freeway, the state Department of Transportation said.
Maui rock removal to close lane
Rock removal from cliffs above Honoapiilani Highway on Maui will cause lane closures at McGregor Point today and tomorrow.
Motorists could face delays between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow, according to the state Department of Transportation.
A helicopter will drape nets over the cliffs to protect workers and motorists.
Big Isle park repairs to begin
Work begins this week to make $715,049 worth of improvements to Akaka Falls State Park on the Big Island, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release.
An almost half-mile footpath connecting lookouts for Akaka Falls and Kahuna Falls will get fixes to the path, stairs, handrail and related improvements.
Contractor Site Engineering Inc. is expected to work on the Kahuna Falls trail through October, the department said.
SHINING STARS
Waste Management aids veterans group
Waste Management of Hawaii presented a $5,000 donation to the
U.S. Vets Hawaii organization, which helps homeless war veterans, at Kalaeloa (formerly Barbers Point). Since opening in 2003, U.S. Vets has helped more than 800 veterans get off the streets and provided food and shelter, job training and psychological help.
The Quiksilver Foundation donated $100,000 to the North Shore Community Land Trust to protect the 1,129-acre Pupukea Paumalu coastal bluff. The foundation, an outgrowth of the Quiksilver Inc. outdoor sports clothing company, has supported the preservation of the history and famous surfing lifestyle of Oahu's North Shore.
The foundation will also donate $4,500 to regional groups Hui Malama o Pupukea-Waimea, and the Punana Leo o Ko'olauloa Hawaiian Immersion School in Kahuku.
Goodwill Industries of Hawaii's 16th Annual Fundraising Auction in February earned nearly $85,000 for the agency's employment service programs. More than 300 attended.
» Hawaii Literacy received $10,000 from Hawaiian Electric Co. for its Bookmobile in Waianae.
"Shining Stars" runs Mondays through Thursdays.
|
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
|
Worker dies in fall from high-rise
A 52-year-old construction worker died after he fell off the 46th-floor balcony of a Moana Pacific high-rise at 1230 Kapiolani Blvd.
At about 9:55 a.m. yesterday, police said, the man was working alone on the upper-level balcony of the high-rise when he fell. He was not wearing a safety belt, police said.
Officials from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are assisting in the investigation.
Identification of the man is being withheld by the Department of the Medical Examiner pending further investigation.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Bus collision kills Lahaina man, 19
A 19-year-old Lahaina man died yesterday in a two-vehicle collision on Kuihelani Highway in Kahului.
Police identified him as Erik M.K. Waikiki.
At about 11:02 a.m. yesterday, Waikiki was traveling east on Kuihelani Highway toward the airport in a white 2002 Ford Ranger.
Police said the Ranger lost control, crossed over the center line near Waiko Road and collided with a Roberts Hawaii bus that was traveling in the opposite direction on the highway.
Waikiki died at the scene. Two occupants in the bus were transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center where they were treated for injuries.
Police said heavy rain occurred at the time of the collision. Police are continuing their investigation.
This is the third traffic-related fatality for Maui County compared with four at the same time last year.
Man sought in robbery try
Maui police are looking for a man suspected of attempting to rob a bank Tuesday.
At about 1:54 p.m., a silent holdup alarm call came from the Hawaii National Bank on South Puunene Avenue in Kahului. Patrol officers were informed of an attempted robbery.
The suspect handed the teller a demand note, but there was no mention of a weapon and the suspect did not receive money.
The suspect instead fled the bank before police arrived.
The suspect is described as in his late 20s or early 30s, about 6 feet tall and 160 pounds. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and dark glasses.
WINDWARD OAHU
Red Cross helps victims of blaze
Three Kahaluu residents are displaced as a fire damaged most of their single-story home yesterday.
At about 10:30 a.m., firefighters responded to a fire at 47-036 Laenani Drive that might have started in the kitchen. The fire was under control 15 minutes later but had engulfed most of the home, said acting fire spokesman Capt. Frank Johnson.
A woman who lives at the home was in her yard when the fire occurred. Neighbors called 911. There were no injuries, Johnson said.
The local American Red Cross chapter is assisting the woman and her son and grandson with living arrangements.
Firefighters are still investigating the cause of the fire and how much damage it caused.
WAIKIKI
Suspect allegedly takes mother's ID
Police arrested a 38-year-old woman who allegedly posed as her mother to get a loan, twice.
In August the suspect allegedly used a forged check and ID card to obtain a short-term loan from a check-cashing company on Kalakaua Avenue.
Police said the loan company called the woman after she defaulted on the loan. A 57-year-old woman who answered the phone told the company she had not taken out a loan. She said her daughter had fraudulently signed for the loan.
Police said the daughter went back to the loan company Monday to take out another loan and was arrested for investigation of forgery and identity theft.
WAHIAWA
Break-in at home leads to 1 arrest
Police arrested a juvenile who allegedly broke into a home in Wahiawa military housing yesterday.
Police said that at about 1:30 p.m., four juveniles were seen breaking into the home. Witnesses intervened and detained one of the suspects, who was later arrested on suspicion of burglary.
