Newswatch
Police, Fire, Courts
Star-Bulletin staff and wire
Makaha gets rare visit by box jellyfish swarm
Leeward Oahu beaches saw a rare influx of more than 150 box jellyfish yesterday.Lifeguards said more than 100 jellyfish were counted at Makaha Beach, another 55 at Pokai Bay, and about 30 jellyfish at Maili Beach yesterday.
Ocean Safety officials said jellyfish usually hit beaches on the south shore, but they arrive on western shores three or four times a year.
In contrast, a small influx of jellyfish -- about 30 -- was found in the Kuhio Beach area of Waikiki yesterday. Lifeguards said five people were reported stung at Waikiki beaches and another person was stung on a western shore.
City officials predicted that more jellyfish will arrive today.
City official warns cuts could slow road work
Officials from several city departments told a City Council committee yesterday that proposed budget cuts could mean longer lines, layoffs, and potholes not being filled in a timely fashion.The City Council Budget Committee's version of the proposed $1.22 billion operating budget includes cuts of about $2.7 million.
Eric Crispin, director of the city Department of Planning and Permitting, said that if the $137,000 salary cut for vacant positions stands in his most understaffed division, the severe backlog in processing building permits during a construction boom will only get worse.
"Please allow us to do our work effectively so we can move these permits out," Crispin said.
But councilmembers said they were concerned that positions weren't being filled quickly and that the money for the positions was instead used for overtime and other salary needs.
The committee approved the legislative and executive operating budgets as well as the capital improvement budget. All are headed for an April 22 public hearing.
CORRECTION
Thursday, April 15, 2003>> As of Monday, 1,626 cases of the Norwalk virus had been reported in Las Vegas since Dec. 3. A brief in the "Newswatch" column on Page A10 in yesterday's early edition incorrectly said that the total number of cases was as of Tuesday.
The Honolulu Star-Bulletin strives to make its news report fair and accurate. If you have a question or comment about news coverage, call Editor Frank Bridgewater at 529-4791 or email him at fbridgewater@starbulletin.com.Vegas health official says virus on decline
The number of new cases of the Norwalk virus has dropped by half in Las Vegas, the Clark County Health District said yesterday.Nine new cases were reported between April 3 and Friday, compared with 18 cases reported between March 27 and April 2, health district spokesman David Tonelli said.
"It's dropping significantly and continually," he said. "Hopefully by next week, if it continues to go down by half, we should be down to the baseline."
Those who reported suffering from the stomach flu-like illness had visited or stayed at the California Hotel & Casino in downtown Las Vegas. Many of the visitors were from Hawaii.
As of yesterday, a total of 1,626 cases were reported since Dec. 3, Tonelli said.
Symptoms of the Norwalk virus include acute vomiting and diarrhea that can last up to three days. Health officials said they will consider the outbreak over when they see a "sustained decline" where two to three complaints are received each week over a month.
Isle law enforcement to get federal grants
Hawaii state and county law enforcement and emergency-response agencies will receive more than $22 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in grants announced yesterday.The money for training, equipment, exercises and planning brings the total of Homeland Security funding to Hawaii in the past two years to more than $50 million, state Adjutant Gen. Robert G. Lee said.
Eighty percent of the new grants will go to the counties, Lee said, with Honolulu to receive about $9 million and each neighbor island to get about $2 million.
Lee said the state portion will go to agencies with law enforcement duties, including the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Land and Natural Resources and the airports and harbors divisions of the Department of Transportation.
Vegetarian will discuss mad cow disease
Howard Lyman, co-defendant with Oprah Winfrey in the highly publicized libel case brought by Texas cattlemen, will give two talks in Hawaii this week.A former rancher who became a vegetarian and food-safety activist, Lyman will discuss "Mad Cow Disease: What You Need to Know."
He will speak at 7 p.m. today at the Seventh-day Adventist Church at 261 S. Puunene Ave., Kahului, and at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Honolulu Central Seventh-day Adventist Church, 2313 Nuuanu Ave.
His free talk is sponsored by the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii.
For more information, call 944-VEGI (8344) or see VSH.org.
'Try-Fest' at Manoa park targets health
Free health and fitness activities for seniors will be available 8 a.m. to noon tomorrow in the third annual fun and fitness program "Try-Fest" at Manoa District Park.The event is sponsored by the city Department of Parks and Recreation, Hawaii Medical Service Association and First Hawaiian Bank. Registration will be at 7:30 a.m., followed by a welcome and announcements. Activities, booths and demonstrations will be from 9 a.m. to noon.
Among activities will be warm-up stretches, Chinese calisthenics, Korean and Japanese exercises, tennis, golf tips, healthy cooking, ukulele lessons, hiking tips and a one-hour hike.
Call 973-7258 to register or pick up a registration form at an Oahu senior center. Try-Fest is part of HMSA's Akamai Living wellness program, designed for HMSA and Health Plan Hawaii members age 55 and older.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHONOLULU
Building cleared after mystery odor detected
Thirty people were evacuated from a building at Honolulu Community College yesterday after an unidentified odor was reported in one of the classrooms.Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. Emmit Kane said firefighters responded at 8:46 a.m. to a room used for computer classes in Building 71.
Thirty people, including instructors and students, were evacuated from the building to the cafeteria.
Eleven people were evaluated by the campus nurse and Emergency Medical Services personnel after complaining of irritation to their eyes, noses and throats.
Kane said an air-monitoring device was used to test the air in the building.
"The atmosphere was in normal range," said Kane. "There was no indication of what caused the irritation."
No chemicals were stored in the classroom, he added.
LEEWARD OAHU
Teen says he's victim of drive-by stabbing
Police are looking for a male suspect who allegedly stabbed a 17-year-old Waianae boy in Aiea on Monday.The victim told police the suspect drove up Kalaloa Street in a white Ford sedan about 3:30 p.m. Police said the suspect got out of his vehicle, approached the victim and stabbed him with a knife.
Police said the victim was able to run to a relative's home.
The suspect is described as a man in his late 20s to early 30s, about 120 to 130 pounds with a slim build. He is further described to have braided hair and that he was wearing a red T-shirt, red shorts and red shoes.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Kona man arrested in alleged spear shooting
Big Island police arrested a 22-year-old Kona man Monday night, alleging he shot another man with a speargun Sunday.Markdean Kalalau, of Kauhola Street in the Kaloko Industrial Park, turned himself in at the Kona police station about 9:15 p.m.
Kalalau was arrested for attempted murder but had not been charged. He is in custody pending further investigation.
Police said Kalalau shot Wendell Kahaialii, 28, in the stomach with a speargun Sunday at the Kauhola Street address.
Kahaialii is in guarded condition at Kona Community Hospital.
Motorcyclist airlifted after crash in Waianae
A motorcycle rider was airlifted to the Queen's Medical Center after a collision near Ala Hema Street in Waianae last night.Emergency medical crews said the victim suffered head, hip, and jaw injuries. He was taken to Queen's in critical condition.
Honolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
