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Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Kauai surfer escapes injury from nosy shark
HANALEI, Kauai >> A surfer reported a close encounter with a shark off Kauai's north shore yesterday.Bruce Orth, 51, said he was straddling his surf board while waiting for waves in Kalihiwai Bay near Hanalei when a shark came under him and nipped his board.
"He came straight up and latched onto the side of the board," he said. "I'm looking straight down at this thing and I thought the head looked like a foot-and-a-half across, and I thought, 'Get this thing off my board.' So, I pounded on it and kind of had to push it off."
Surfers in the area estimated the shark to be 8 to 10 feet long.
Orth said he quickly paddled to shore as lifeguards closed nearby beaches and posted shark warning signs. He was not injured.
Kalihiwai Bay is not far from where teenage surfer Bethany Hamilton lost her left arm in a shark attack Oct. 31.
On Jan. 1, 2002, teenage body boarder Hoku Aki lost part of his leg while body boarding in murky water near Kauai's Brennecke Beach on the South Shore.
Lingle urges restoring funding for hospitals
Gov. Linda Lingle said yesterday that jobs and health care services may be lost if lawmakers do not fully fund the state's community hospital system.During a tour of the Big Island's North Hawaii Community Hospital, Lingle said that if the Senate does not restore the $11 million for the Hawaii Health Systems Corp. that was cut by the House, impacts on the neighbor islands will be severe.
Although North Hawaii Community Hospital is not part of the state system, Lingle said it has afforded an opportunity to "think about health not just when you get sick."
2 schools in Waimea to reopen after floods
Waimea Elementary School and Waimea Middle Public Charter School were set to reopen today after shutting down for two days because of flooding.Kanu o Ka Aina Public Charter School will remain closed this week for spring recess, which was rescheduled because of the storm.
'Sunset in the Park' at Schofield this weekend
The city and island businesses will sponsor an aloha party at Schofield Barracks this weekend for the 4,500 25th Infantry Division soldiers who will be leaving for Afghanistan this month.The "Schofield Sunset in the Park" will begin at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday and run until 10 p.m. It will be held on Sills Field at Schofield Barracks and is open to the public. Attendees will be asked to show a current photo identification.
Thirteen Leeward Oahu restaurants will be selling food. Band and other entertainment will be provided throughout the weekend. Also a market place with crafters and artists from the area will be featured.
The movie "Pirates of the Caribbean" will be shown on Saturday and "Seabiscuit" on Sunday.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffNEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Big Isle police suspect fugitive is near Hilo Big Island police are looking for a 41-year-old fugitive whom they believe to be in the Papaikou area of South Hilo.
Manuel Paul Santos, who is wanted on two warrants, is 5-foot-11, about 170 pounds, with brown eyes and brown hair.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts can call the police nonemergency number at 935-3311. Those who wish to remain anonymous may call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
