Ex-Mayor Fasi breaks thigh in fall

Former Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi suffered a broken thigh bone in a fall at his home after tripping in the hallway and was admitted to a hospital Sunday.

Fasi, 89, who served as Honolulu mayor for 22 years, was being held for observation yesterday, but the injury was not life-threatening, his children said.

Man-of-war influx hits beaches

More than 50 Portuguese men-of-war were found on Waikiki Beach and 10 at Ala Moana Beach Park by 2 p.m. yesterday, the city Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division found.

Lifeguards treated four people for stings at Waikiki and five others at Ala Moana.

Lifeguards are warning beachgoers that a small influx is affecting Oahu's south-facing shores.

An influx of Portuguese men-of-war is not unusual after an extended period of southerly or Kona winds, a spokesman for Ocean Safety said.

Bill to control Big Island spigot usage

HILO » The Hawaii County Council could be taking up a bill to regulate the use of emergency water spigots as early as this week.

The measure would limit water to 55 gallons per day and require the use of containers no larger than 55 gallons. It would also set penalties of up to $500 and 30 days in jail.

County Civil Defense maintains 15 water spigots around the Big Island. They were established in 1988 as an emergency source of drinking water as a precaution against lead contamination in catchment systems caused by acid rain.

Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Quince Mento says the water is intended for drinking and cooking use only.

However, Mento says he has heard reports of people using spigot water to hose down boats and cars and to create water slip-and-slides.

High surf likely to hit all islands

High surf from a northwest swell started arriving last night and is expected to reach all islands this week, according to the National Weather Service.

A high-surf warning for Kauai through Maui County will likely be extended to the Big Island today, forecasters say. The warning lasts to 6 p.m. Thursday.

Surf along northern and western shores of Kauai and north-facing shores of Oahu, Molokai and Maui was seen reaching 25 to 35 feet by today. Surf on western shores of Oahu and Molokai will rise to 15 to 20 feet today, according to forecasters.

“;The swell will then reach the Kona coast of the Big Island Tuesday night into Wednesday,”; they said yesterday.

Court rejects dispute of UH volcano plan

HILO » A circuit judge on the Big Island has dismissed a challenge to the University of Hawaii's management plan for land atop Mauna Kea volcano where the school hosts about a dozen telescopes.

Judge Glenn S. Hara ruled a coalition of Hawaiian and environmental groups failed to prove they were adversely affected by the approval of the plan by the state Board of Land and Natural Resources.

Hara issued his ruling last Tuesday.

The Sierra Club's Nelson Ho says the groups are disappointed, but they could appeal Hara's decision to a higher court.

Others involved in the case include Kahea, the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance and Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, an organization with familial and religious ties to the mountain.