Newswatch Star-Bulletin staff and wire service

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Superferry suffers electric glitch

A small electrical problem aboard the Hawaii Superferry yesterday caused company officials to shuttle some passengers into a safe area as crew members investigated, a company spokeswoman said.

The glitch started as crews prepared the Alakai for its 11:15 a.m. departure from Kahului Harbor to Honolulu. As passengers boarded the vessel, the captain smelled smoke and investigated, said Lori Abe, Hawaii Superferry spokeswoman.

As a precaution, crews kept boarded passengers in one area until the problem could be checked.

Crews found a "minor electrical component" had failed in the electrical equipment room, below the ship's bridge, Abe said.

Followed established procedures, a mechanical crew determined the ship could continue operating without posing a safety hazard because of electrical redundancies built into the system, Abe said.

Superferry officials also notified the Coast Guard about the incident, Abe said.

Workers will reorder and replace the faulty electrical component, Abe said.

The Alakai departed on time to Honolulu and continued with its second round trip later in the day.

Posters draw focus on hepatitis

Posters emphasizing the risks of hepatitis B and C are being shown in all Honolulu buses to try and combat Hawaii's high rate of liver cancer.

Earlier screening and hepatitis B vaccinations are urged to stop the disease from spreading.

"Liver cancer is one of the five leading causes of cancer deaths in Hawaii's Asian and Pacific Islander populations, and it's mainly caused by hepatitis infection," said Dr. Reginald Ho, oncologist at Straub Clinic & Hospital and principal investigator, Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training.

"If you are first generation from an Asian country or from a Pacific island, you are especially vulnerable, and you should be tested and possibly vaccinated," Ho said in a news release from the Hepatitis Support Network.

One out of 12 people worldwide is infected with hepatitis, and 50 countries are participating in a campaign, "Am I Number Twelve?" to raise awareness about the diseases.

Most people do not feel ill until it is too late for successful treatments, the Hepatitis Support Network said.

The poster says, "If hepatitis B or C was attacking your face instead of your liver, you'd do something about it. Ready to Fight Back?"

For more information, call 373-3488 or visit the Web site www.idlinks.com.

Police, Fire, Courts Star-Bulletin staff

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Crash disrupts traffic, electricity

About 100 Hawaiian Electric Co. customers in Kaaawa on Windward Oahu were to be without power most of the day as the result of a traffic accident that knocked out a utility pole, according to a HECO spokeswoman.

At about 5:15 a.m., a car veered off the road and knocked down a utility pole on Kamehameha Highway at Kaaawa Place. There were no serious injuries, police said, however, the highway was closed to fix the pole.

That forced Honolulu or Kailua-bound rush-hour commuters to drive around the North Shore and through Central Oahu to get to their destinations.

The earliest the highway was to be reopened was about noon, said Darren Pai, a spokesman for Hawaiian Electric Co.

A total of 500 customers were affected by the power outage, said HECO spokeswoman Janet Crawford.

It was necessary to shut down power in the area to fix the pole, causing about 400 homes to lose power for about 30 minutes. The remaining 100 customers were to be without power for most of today as crews repair the utility pole, which can take about eight to 10 hours, Crawford said. "There is just no other way to reroute power to the 100 customers," she said.

Truck crash fatal for driver, 35

A 35-year-old man died yesterday morning after his pickup truck crashed head-on into a large tree on Nuuanu Pali Drive Access Road near the Pali Lookout.

Around 10 a.m. a maroon pickup was traveling town-bound away from the Pali Lookout when it veered off to the left side of the road and smashed into a tree, police said.

The driver, a 35-year-old Tongan man with no local address, was pinned between the steering wheel and seat, police said. He was not wearing a seat belt, police said. Firefighters used the "jaws of life" to extract the man from the truck, said Fire Capt. Robert Main.

The airbags were deployed, but Main said the damage from the impact was so severe that the airbags did not help. Main said he believes speed was a factor in the crash.

At the scene there were no skid marks. The truck's front was smashed in. Police shut down the town-bound road out of Pali Lookout for several hours as they investigated the scene. Main said there were no witnesses.

Police officials classified the case as an "unattended death," which is typical for incidents they believe to have been suicide.

HONOLULU

Pali crash victim ID'd as Oahu man

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office identified a 35-year-old Honolulu man who died after his pickup crashed into a tree near Pali Lookout yesterday morning as Timote Likiliki.

Police said that shortly after 10 a.m., Likiliki was heading townbound on Nuuanu Pali Drive Access Road when his truck veered to the left and slammed head-on into a large tree. Likiliki, who died at the scene, was pinned between the steering wheel and seat.

Likiliki was not wearing a seatbelt and his airbags deployed, police said. Police classified the case as an "unattended death." Fire Capt. Robert Main said he believes speed was a factor in the crash.

LEEWARD OAHU

Park stabbing leads to arrest of man, 64

A 64-year-old man was arrested Saturday night after he allegedly stabbed another man at Keaau Beach Park in Waianae because of an unpaid debt.

According to police, a 42-year-old man confronted the man around 8:50 p.m. The suspect, with no local address, then allegedly hit the man with an unknown object, causing stab wounds to the man's left arm and back. He was treated at Waianae Comprehensive Health Center and released, police said.

The man was arrested at 83-431 Farrington Highway on suspicion of second-degree assault.

WAIKIKI

Woman allegedly makes knife threat

Police arrested a 40-year-old woman Saturday in after she threatened a man with a knife.

The woman was arrested at the Waikiki Landmark Condominium on suspicion of first-degree terroristic threatening, police said.

The victim, a 55-year-old man, was apparently arrested at the same location on suspicion of abuse of a household member and interfering with reporting an emergency, according to police records.

WINDWARD OAHU

Japanese visitor dies snorkeling

A 61-year-old Japanese tourist died yesterday while snorkeling at Kaupo Bay, on the Waimanalo side of Sea Life Park, a Honolulu Fire Department official said.

Firefighters received a call at about 7:20 a.m. from campers who saw the man's body washing up against the rocks, said Honolulu fire Capt. Robert Main.

Firefighters on rescue boards pulled the man out of the water and turned him over to paramedics on shore, Main said.

The man had set out from the beach at about dawn to go snorkeling, while his wife, also from Japan, went beachcombing, Main said.

She did not realize her husband was in trouble until she saw rescuers pull his body out of the water, Main said.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:48 a.m., said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the Honolulu Emergency Services Department.

The Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office did not release the man's name and said an autopsy will be performed today to determine the exact cause of death.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Passer-by finds dead man in SUV

A man's body was found Saturday night in a sport utility vehicle parked at Port Allen Small Boat Harbor in Kauai.

Kauai Police said a passer-by, who noticed a strong stench coming from the SUV, discovered the body.

The man's identity is being withheld pending notification of the next of kin. Police do not believe foul play was involved.

FIRE PREVENTION As summer approaches, the Honolulu Fire Department is offering a few tips for prevention of and preparation for wildfires: » Create a 30-foot-wide firebreak by clearing vegetation and clutter around all structures. » For those living in areas at risk, have an emergency preparedness plan in case of the need to evacuate due to a wildfire. Develop a route for evacuation and consider other preparations. » If your property borders an area where a wildfire could occur, consider the need for Fire Department access to protect your home. For more information, contact the HFD public information officer, Capt. Terry Seelig, at 723-7117.