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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Injuries from fallen tree killed camper
LIHUE >> A 36-year-old man who died Wednesday morning when high winds snapped a tree that fell onto the tent in which he was camping died of massive injuries, an autopsy confirmed yesterday.Michael Larson, who also used the name Michael Souza, was found beneath the tree by dirt bikers in a remote area above Kapaa. Police said the top 40 feet of the 60-foot-tall tree fell on his campsite.
First lava in 6 years flows from Puu Oo
HILO >> It is only a trickle, but lava is flowing out of the Puu Oo crater for the first time since Jan. 14, 1998, almost exactly six years ago.The event was announced yesterday by Don Swanson, scientist-in-charge of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, using the observatory Web site hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/update/main.html.
The eruption as a whole was doing a lot more than trickling, Swanson explained. Lava was actually "gushing" out of a 30-foot-high feature called the East Pond Vent. But most of it covered the floor inside the crater, building the floor higher.
The Beehive Vent, which had been the most active feature in the crater, shut down. But 375 yards west of the East Pond Vent, just outside the crater, the West Pit Shield remained active, and other vents continued pumping lava downslope.
Box jellyfish invasion closes Hanauma Bay
An influx of box jellyfish prompted city officials to close Hanauma Bay yesterday.City lifeguards said about 50 visitors to the park reported being stung by jellyfish between 10 and 11 a.m. yesterday.
Water safety officials said the jellyfish caught them by surprise because they were not visible from shore.
"They're hard to spot because they're clear," said Rob Miller, with the city Ocean Safety Division. "That and they're not always floating on top of the surface. ... They're not like man-o-wars."
Miller also said that by yesterday afternoon there were 15 jellyfish stings reported in Waikiki and three stings at Ala Moana Beach Park.
The Hanauma Bay Nature Center remained open yesterday, and snorkeling is scheduled to reopen at 6 a.m. today. For an update on the bay's status, call 396-4229.
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Jefferson Fellowship applications available
The East-West Center is accepting applications for the Spring 2004 Jefferson Fellowships until Jan. 26.The scholarships for a travel-study program from May 2 through 29 will be awarded to six American journalists and six from the Asia-Pacific region. Midlevel print and broadcast journalists may apply.
The fellows will spend a week at the East-West Center discussing regional issues with experts. The Americans will travel to Beijing, Tokyo and Manila for for 16 days. The Asians and Pacific islanders will go to Washington, D.C., Chicago and San Francisco. They will return to Oahu for follow-up discussions.
Application forms are available online at www.EastWestCenter.org/stored/misc/Appli- cationsFormSpring2004.pdf.
Contact Dennis Donahue, coordinator, at 944-7384, or e-mail seminars@eastwestcenter.org.
Fund-raiser aids effort to preserve Maui land
WAILUKU >> A Maui group that has the goal of buying 277 acres of coastal land at Waihee for preservation is holding a luau fund-raiser on Jan. 31.The Maui Coastal Land Trust's benefit will start at 5:15 p.m. at the Old Lahaina Luau and include silent and live auctions and entertainment from several groups, including Eric Gilliom & Friends.
The Trust has already raised about $4 million of the $6 million needed for the land purchase and the establishment of an endowment to maintain the coastal preserve.
The "Buy Back the Beach" benefit luau tickets are $75 each or $600 for a table of eight.
For information or reservations, call the trust office at 808-244-5263.
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ACADEMIC AWARDS
>> Chennat Gopalakrishnan, professor of natural resources and environmental management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, has been selected as one of three Fellows of the American Water Resources Association in 2003.>> Laurie Lau, of Honolulu, a psychology and economics double major at Bates College in Maine, is studying in Milan, Italy, as part of the Junior Semester Abroad Program.
>> Winners of the 10th Annual Leeward Young Artist Awards contest, sponsored by the Estate of James Campbell, are Alaka'i Mashima, Grade K, of Kapolei Elementary School; Jazlyn Cook, Grade 2, Iroquois Point Elementary; Brittany Reis, Grade 2, Kaleiopuu Elementary; Elliot Chen, Grade 5, Kapolei Elementary; Chelsea Villanueva, Grade 5, Pearl City Highlands Elementary; Rhea May Marcelino, Grade 6, Ewa Elementary; Marilyn Joyce Mose, Grade 8, Waipahu Intermediate; Jessica Fabrigas, Grade 10, Pearl City High; Joel Fernando, Grade 10, Kapolei High; and Jasmine Kelekolio, Grade 11, Pearl City High. The Honolulu Academy of Arts awarded scholarships to Sean Foster, Grade 1, of Barbers Point Elementary; Jennifer Suwa, Grade 7, of Waipahu Intermediate; and Kelekolio.
>> Retired Navy commander Earl Greathouse, who served in Honolulu beginning in 1971 as community relations officer of CINCPAC, among other public affairs positions, was honored with the Distinguished Service Alumni Award from his alma mater, Wayland Baptist University in Texas. A 1951 graduate with a degree in speech and radio, he served in the Korean War and entered the Naval Reserve in 1955. Greathouse worked as a television producer and director at stations in Texas, then earned his master's degree from Baylor University. He served as a television instructor at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University.
>> Roland Lagareta, vice president of the Pacific & Asian Affairs Council, is the new chairman of the East-West Center's board of governors. Miriam Hellreich, Hawaii's Republican national committeewoman, is vice chairwoman. Pat Saiki, former Hawaii congresswoman and former head of the Small Business Administration, is chairwoman of the board's executive committee.
>> Hawaii Pacific University students Sophie Barbara and Troy Groendyke have received $500 scholarships from the Hawaii Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association. Both are pursuing degrees in travel industry management.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffLEEWARD OAHU
Honolulu police have initiated a negligent-homicide investigation in the death of a 42-year-old man in Aiea yesterday morning.
Man dies after being hit in crosswalk by car in AieaPolice said the victim was in a crosswalk on Ulune Street near Pohue Street when he was hit by a 1996 Toyota Corolla driven by a 23-year-old male.
The victim was taken from the scene by ambulance in critical condition to the Pali Momi Medical Center, where he later died.
Yesterday's traffic fatality was the seventh this year compared with five during the same time period last year.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
A 39-year-old man who allegedly violated a restraining order when he took his daughter from her mother's house about a week ago is being held by police in lieu of $6,250 bail.
Man who allegedly took daughter arrestedLeonard Troy Green was arrested in the Ainaloa subdivision of Puna by officers from the East Hawaii Criminal Investigation Section. Green was arrested for two counts of violating a court order, one count of custodial interference, one count of contempt and a firearm offense because he had a .357-caliber revolver when arrested.
His 12-year-old daughter, Natasha, was with him when he was arrested and is reported in good health, according to police.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
