|
Newswatch
Star-Bulletin staff and wire service
|
Kona-bound jet forced back to LA
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757 bound for Kona returned safely to Los Angeles after experiencing rudder trouble Friday, a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said yesterday.
Delta flight 1767 returned to LAX airport at 2:21 p.m., said Allen Kenitzer, FAA spokesman for the Northwest Mountain Region and Alaska.
He didn't know how many passengers were on board, but said the Boeing 757 can hold about 200 passengers.
FAA officials will look into the case tomorrow, he said.
Chris Kelly, a Delta spokesperson in Atlanta, said the flight was turned around because an indicator light showed something was wrong and the aircraft was not flying normally.
Mechanics hoped to fix the plane and get it back in the air, but maintenance crews needed more time for repairs and the flight was canceled, she said.
Kelly didn't know how many passengers were on the flight. She said Delta employees did everything they could to get the passengers on another flight to Kona.
UH offers rideshare program
The University of Hawaii is making it easier for students and employees hard hit by the rising gas prices to save money by carpooling.
The university relaunched its online ridesharing program for travel to any of the 10 UH campuses.
"The voluntary program was quite successful during the bus strike in 2003 and we hope that it will once again serve the UH community," said Deborah Noji, assistant director of UH Manoa Auxillary Enterprises.
The site is accessible to all UH and community college students, faculty and staff through the MyUH portal by clicking on the UH life tab. Interested commuters can add themselves to a database to match up with other people interested in carpooling.
For more information visit www.hawaii.edu/rideshare.
Hana Highway repairs scheduled
More than $3 million will be spent by the state on traffic and safety improvements at two spots along Hana Highway, according to a news release from the governor's office.
One project calls for spending $1.8 million on improvements at the intersection of Hana and Haleakala highways. With the design phase completed, construction is set to begin next March. Completion is expected in December 2010.
The other $1.7 million project is aimed at improving driver safety on Hana Highway between Uakea Road and Keawa Place. The work is to begin next month and last until November.
|
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff
|
WAIKIKI
Suspects sought in holdup
Police are searching for two men suspected in the armed robbery of a 25-year-old woman in Waikiki early yesterday morning.
At about 1:30 a.m., the woman was walking along a side street in Waikiki when a dark-colored Ford Mustang pulled up and a man wearing a blue bandanna with a semi-automatic handgun got out and demanded the woman's purse, police said.
When the woman refused, a struggled ensued and the suspect fled with the handbag in the waiting vehicle. The woman was not injured.
The suspect is described to be in his 20s, about 6-feet tall, wearing a blue T-shirt, blue jeans and a blue bandanna across his face. There was no description of the driver.
The vehicle is described to be a dark-colored 1990s version of a Ford Mustang with tinted windows and rounded body parts.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui playground gear burned up
A fire destroyed playground equipment at Paukukalo Hawaiian Homes park in Wailuku yesterday, a Maui county news release said.
The fire started at about 9:40 a.m. and was extinguished by 11:15 a.m. The cause is still under investigation.
Maui's Parks and Recreation Department recently made improvements to the playground, including resurfacing the playground area. Damage is estimated at $10,000.
"This is so unfortunate for the kids who play there," Parks Director Tamara Horcajo said in the news release. "I encourage the public to help us keep a watchful eye on our park facilities. If anyone sees anything suspicious, please call the police."
HONOLULU
Stolen handgun recovered in arrest
Police arrested two men and a 17-year-old boy on Friday night near Keeaumoku Street after finding a handgun taken in a burglary and brass knuckles on the juvenile.
Police were called at about 10:10 p.m. to Rycroft Street after a tip. Officers found three suspects and discovered the weapons on the 17-year-old boy. A witness placed the two other men at the scene of the July 31 burglary, police said. The men also had property from the burglary in their possession, police said.
Police seek 2 men in rape of teenager
Police are searching for two men who allegedly kidnapped a 15-year-old girl and raped her at Kaimuki High School early Friday morning. The girl told police the men forced her into a black truck outside a Kaimuki apartment building at about 1 a.m.
Police said the men drove her to the high school where they sexually assaulted her.
Autopsy scheduled for body's remains
An autopsy is scheduled tomorrow to try and identify human skeletal remains found in Kalihi on Friday.
Police were called to the area near Notley and Meyers streets at 10 a.m. Friday. The case is classified as an unattended death.
WAIKIKI
Man arrested in robbery cases
Police arrested a 35-year-old man at his Seaside Avenue home yesterday in connection with the investigation into two Waikiki robberies last month.
Police said the suspect went to Waikiki businesses on June 25 and 26 passed a threatening note to the cashiers demanding money.