Surf of up to 10-feet along the south and east shores of all islands caused problems for boaters and some divers on at least two neighbor islands. Surf swell swamps dive
charter off Kauai; all 12
on board are rescuedOn Kauai, high waves swamped a dive charter boat carrying nine divers and three crewman, the Kauai Fire Department said this morning. All were rescued with no injuries but it was unclear whether the boat could be salvaged.
The Snorkel Cat, a 28-foot boat, owned by Dive Kauai, was filled with water when a wave broke over it three miles south of Kukuiula Harbor. All 12 people were rescued by a boat from Seasports, another dive charter company.
The Coast Guard has taken charge of the wreck and was expected to decide today whether to attempt to save it.
In Maui County, a swimmer was rescued from high surf at Manele Bay on Lanai. A Fire Department rescue boat was called to aid a jet ski in trouble in heavy surf at the Pakalas surfing site and a couple of boats broke their moorings yesterday, including19-foot power boat that landed on the rocks off Makena landing.
"It's pretty much totaled," said Nicholas Giaconi, the senior harbor agent at Maalaea Harbor. Giaconi added that a sail boat was tied down after breaking its mooring at Maalaea Harbor and six to eight-foot surf pushed debris on the road and caused some pavement to buckle.
No major problems were reported on Oahu where the south swell brought waves six to eight feet at Waikiki.
"All of the rental racks were empty and everybody was on a board just to say they surfed Waikiki," a city lifeguard said.
A high-surf warning remained in effect for all islands today, but the swell was expected to drop to three to four feet.
Molokai nurses settle for single bonus, no raise
Molokai General Hospital's registered nurses settled for one-time bonuses and no pay raises after going on strike for more than a month.Hawaii Nurses Association negotiator Caroldean Kahue said full-time nurses will get $700 while part-timers will get $600.
Kahue said medical benefits also were increased.
No charges filed in police shooting
No charges will be filed against four police officers involved in the fatal shooting of a man who killed his ex-girlfriend in the Ala Moana Center parking lot earlier this year, prosecutors said.The decision was made after the prosecutor's office conducted its own investigation and a review of police reports, witness statements, security camera video tape and other circumstances surrounding the Jan. 13 shooting, Deputy Prosecutor Nancy Kasch said in a news release yesterday.
Police said Michell Udani, 26, fatally shot Cherry Ann Domingo, 25, with a sawed-off shotgun. Detective Wilson Lau and officers Thayne Costa, Day Oshiro, Brian Taniguchi and Dean Terakawa then fatally shot Udani after he refused their orders to put down his weapon and fired on them.
"The state has concluded the officers had reason to believe Michell Udani was violent, had little regard for the safety of others and posed a real danger to bystanders and the officers themselves," Kasch said. "The officers' decision to use deadly force was a justified act under law, and our office will take no further action on this case."
Honolulu Police Internal Affairs had cleared the officers of any wrongdoing. Last week, Chief Lee Donohue presented them with the department's Warrior Bronze Medal of Valor.
Doctor gives free talk on female heart disease
Dr. Fredric Pashkow, medical director for the Queen's Medical Center's Heart Institute, will discuss the leading cause of death of women in the United States from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in the hospital's Kamehameha Auditorium.The leading killer of women isn't cancer, as commonly believed, but heart disease. His topic will be "Women's Hearts at Risk." He will discuss why heart disease kills 10 times more women than breast cancer, coronary heart disease in men and women relating to the life cycle, and gender differences in diagnosis, therapy and access to care.
Pashkow is author of "The Women's Heart Book: The Complete Guide to Keeping Your Heart Healthy." His talk is part of Queen's free Community Health Lecture Series.
Reservations are required because of limited space. Call the Queen's Referral Line, 537-7117, for information. Validated parking is available in the Physician's Office Building 1 parking garage.
AARP magazine honors Big Isle hospital for care
North Hawaii Community Hospital, a 35-bed hospital in Waimea, has been selected by AARP's Modern Maturity magazine as one of 15 "Hospitals with Heart" across the nation.The magazine studied hospitals and consulted organizations devoted to a philosophy of "patient-centered care." It listed four principles of such care: >> Treat everyone with dignity.
>> Share unbiased information with patients and families.
>> Strengthen patients' sense of control.
>> Collaborate with patients, families and the community in deciding "how the hospital looks and feels."
The magazine interviewed many caregivers, hospital leaders and other experts in choosing the "Hospitals with Heart."
North Hawaii Community Hospital is a full-service, acute-care, community-owned hospital managed by Adventist Health of Roseville, Calif. It serves more than 30,000 residents and visitors of North Hawaii and the Hamakua and Kohala coasts.
Local community show gives latest medical info
Some of the latest medical information will be presented in a half-hour television program, "In Touch," airing every Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on Olelo Channel 54.The "Cutting Edge Medical Report" this month features nutrition and cancer. Next month, the topic will be melanoma (skin cancer). Prostate cancer is the tentative subject in September.
The Make A Difference Foundation may present other topics in the future.
For more information, call Jane Hadway at the foundation, 955-0672.
Corrections and clarifications
>> The Kahuku Farmers Market operates in the Kahuku Hospital parking lot on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 8 a.m. to noon. Incorrect days of operation appeared in TheBuzz Thursday.>> A timeline chart in Hawaii Inc. Sunday should have shown the year 2001 for the last five entries. The entries were mistakenly labeled as being in 2000.
>> The replacement for District Court Judge Russell Blair, who is stepping down, will be appointed by the Chief Justice of the Hawaii Supreme Court. A story Tuesday gave incorrect information on who would pick the replacement.
>> The Hawaii International Jazz Festival Hawaiian Night concert takes place at the Blaisdell Concert Hall tonight. A story in yesterday's Today section mentioned a wrong location.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Publisher and Editor in Chief John Flanagan at 529-4748 or email him at jflanagan@starbulletin.com. Corrections and clarifications
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Early morning blaze damages Maui restaurant
WAILUKU >> Maui fire officials were investigating the cause of a fire that caused $200,000 in damage to the Happy Valley Cafe yesterday morning.No one was hurt in the fire.
Firefighters took about 31 minutes to control the fire after receiving the alarm at 4:58 a.m.
The building was formerly occupied for 12 years by Sam Sato's, a popular saimin restaurant in Happy Valley. Sam Sato's relocated to the Millyard in Wailuku nine years ago.
Since the relocation, the building has been leased by three successive restaurants.
Big Isle man shot by female relative, police say
HILO >> Police said a 55-year-old Ka'u man who claimed to have been shot by burglars earlier this month was actually shot one of his own family members. Police have identified a 75-year-old woman as the person involved in the July 3 shooting at Hawaiian Ocean View Estates.On the evening of July 3, Ka'u police and paramedics responding to a call from the residence had found the man suffering from a gunshot wound.
The victim originally told police he had entered his residence and surprised two male intruders. He alleged that during a confrontation, one of the intruders shot him in the upper abdomen.
Since then, police have identified a female family member as the suspect and have also recovered a handgun believed to have been used in the shooting.
WINDWARD OAHU
HPD RAIDS SUSPECTED METH LAB
Waimanalo man arrested for assault on daughter
Honolulu police arrested a 21-year-old Waimanalo man for allegedly breaking the bones of his 5 -year-old daughter last month. Police said on June 16 the father ordered his daughter to call her aunt. When she did not respond, police said the suspect struck the victim on her left shoulder "in a hammer-like fashion" with his fist, knocking her to the floor.Police said the victim cried but eventually stopped. On July 17, police said, the victim was still complaining about pain in her shoulder and was taken to the doctor, where X-rays revealed a fractured left clavicle. Police later arrested the victim's father for assault.
