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Choppy seas delay ship salvage effort

Salvage crews have suspended their attempt to refloat a grounded 555-foot cargo ship off Barbers Point Harbor until sea conditions improve, according to the Coast Guard.

"It's unsafe to operate the crane," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Jennifer Johnson, who noted 6- to 8-foot swells.

About 30 percent of the 27,100 tons of granular cement aboard the Hong-Kong flagged vessel Cape Flattery was removed Sunday to lighten the ship's load. The ship's crew also discovered sea water in one of the empty fuel tanks on Sunday.

More than 128,000 gallons of fuel oil and lubricants were removed from the ship Saturday. There are no reports of fuel pollution in the water, said the Coast Guard.

Cape Flattery ran aground Wednesday, about 400 yards off Barbers Point.

Semester at Sea program to continue

Student participating in the Semester at Sea program will continue their spring itinerary by flying to Shanghai Thursday while the program's ship is repaired in Honolulu.

The Explorer sustained damage Jan. 27 after a 50-foot wave struck the passenger vessel with 900 people aboard.

All but two of the 681 students will continue the program, heading for port visits in China and Vietnam. The ship is scheduled to depart Honolulu on Saturday and meet up with students in Ho Chi Minh City.

After an exhaustive inspection, the ship is expected to resume service soon, and the semester will be completed as scheduled on April 28, Semester at Sea officials said.

The inspection of the Explorer began before the ship reached Honolulu on Jan. 31, and continued with more than 20 U.S. and international marine and engineering experts, including manufacturers of the vessel's equipment, according to a news release. Most of the damage was confined to the ship's electronic equipment.

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» The Estate of James Campbell has named 10 winners in the 11th Annual Leeward Young Artists Awards, representing 14 Leeward Oahu public schools. They are Kelsey Niitani of Kapolei Elementary School; Kristen Balanza and Daniel Agbayani-Tagama, Ewa Elementary; David Andrew Sakihara, Waiau Elementary; Mark Fiesta, Waipahu Intermediate; Kimberly Kaai and Leanne Nagai, Highlands Intermediate; Joel Fernando, Kapolei High; Zedrik Dana, Nanakuli High and Intermediate; and Damien Valencia, Pearl City High. The Honolulu Academy of Arts also awarded scholarships to students who attend art classes at its center, including Niitani, Nagai and Dana.

» Paul Deering, professor of education at the University of Hawaii, has been elected to a three-year term representing the West region on the board of trustees of the National Middle School Association.

» Honolulu Community College students Gayle Iizaki and Dolly LaTouf have received national scholarships. Iizaki received a $250 award from the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society National Dean's List, awarded annually to only 50 students around the world. LaTouf has received a $1,000 scholarship from the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation under a two-year program.

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Police, Fire, Courts



By Star-Bulletin staff

LEEWARD Oahu

Suspect is arrested in attack with knife

A man was arrested Sunday for allegedly cutting his estranged wife's boyfriend in the head with a knife in Kapolei.

Police said the suspect, 39, was dropping his children off at his wife's home at 8 p.m. when he got into a fight with his wife's boyfriend. The suspect allegedly chased the victim with a knife and cut him on the forehead after the victim tripped and fell.

The suspect fled the scene and was arrested later on suspicion of second-degree assault. The victim suffered a 4-inch laceration to his forehead.

Teen rape case grows to include drugs, theft

A 16-year-old boy was arrested for suspicion of sexual assault, kidnapping and having illegal drugs and a stolen vehicle parked at his Ewa Beach home last week.

Police said the case began with a 13-year-old girl reporting that the suspect lured her to his home, restrained her and sexually assaulted her. Upon searching the home where the assault allegedly took place, police discovered narcotics and a stolen vehicle in front of the property.

HONOLULU

2 officers assaulted in morning incident

A suspect attacked two police officers and damaged a patrol car in Kalihi early yesterday morning.

Police were called to School and Linapuni streets at 12:11 a.m. to investigate reports of a man yelling and swearing in the neighborhood. When they got to the scene, the suspect, a 29-year-old man, ran up to an officer's patrol car and tried to open the passenger door, then pounded on the window and hood of the car.

One of the officers got out of his patrol car, and the suspect allegedly punched him. Another officer tried to help subdue the suspect and was also attacked. Two civilians helped the officers control the suspect. Police arrested him for two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer, criminal property damage and disorderly conduct.

Woman's housemate is arrested for forgery

Police arrested a 26-year-old man for allegedly forging $11,500 worth of stolen checks last month. The suspect allegedly stole the checks from a 32-year-old female co-worker he had been staying with temporarily at her home. Police said the suspect deposited three stolen checks on three separate days between Jan. 5 and 25. Police arrested him Saturday night at 737 Bishop St. on suspicion of three counts of second-degree forgery.

WINDWARD OAHU

Kailua medical worker accused of sex assault

A 35-year-old woman told police she had been sexually assaulted while being treated at a Kailua medical facility last week.

The woman said an employee of the facility, identified as a 45-year-old man, had assaulted her Friday at 1:30 a.m. The victim was transported to the Kapiolani Medical Center for a sex assault examination. The case is being investigated as a first-degree sex assault.