Mo-ped rider hurt in collision

A 44-year-old Kaneohe man was critically injured Thursday night when the mo-ped he was riding collided with a pickup truck driven by a 60-year-old woman at Waikalua Road and Mahalani Street, police said.

Police said the mo-ped apparently had the right of way when the Kaneohe woman initiated a left turn, but police are investigating whether the mo-ped's lights were on.

The mo-ped struck the right side of the truck. The accident occurred at 8:10 p.m. in Kaneohe.

Police said the man received cuts to his head, scrapes to his back and injury to his left forearm. He was transported to the Queen's Medical Center where he was initially listed in critical condition and later upgraded to serious, police reported.

A second-degree negligent-injury case was opened.

The man was not wearing a helmet, police said. The woman was not injured.

Pearl Harbor shipyard holds job fair

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard will hold a job fair starting at 8 a.m. today at Honolulu Community College to hire 175 apprentices, engineers, engineering support personnel and other specialists.

The shipyard, which now employs about 4,700 men and women, will hire a minimum of 100 apprentices who will begin employment in January. The shipyard also wants to fill about 75 engineer and various other positions. Starting pay for engineers ranges from $45,000 to $68,000 a year depending on qualifications. The shipyard employs naval architects and mechanical, structural, welding, electrical and nuclear engineers. Engineering support positions include physical science technicians, engineering technicians and equipment specialists.

Average starting pay for apprenticeships is $19 an hour. At the end of four years, apprentice program graduates will earn $28 or more an hour.

Eligible applicants must be at least 18 years old by Jan. 15; U.S. citizens; and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Applicants must pass a physical exam, academic skills test and be able to obtain a security clearance. Males must be registered with the Selective Service System. Only online applications for apprenticeships will be accepted from today to April 9 at https://acep.hawaii.navy.mil.

Man gets life term for killing wife

LIHUE » A Kauai man who killed his wife of 35 years because he thought she was having an affair has been sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

Joseph Hoapili Sr. pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in January for stabbing Fredlynn Hoapili 18 times with a large kitchen knife on March 3, 2009.

County Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho says the attack began while Fredlynn Hoapili was asleep, rendering her unable to defend herself.

Iseri-Carvalho said Thursday that an investigation after the stabbing failed to turn up any evidence of an affair.

During Thursday's sentencing hearing, the couple's eldest daughter, Raylynn Vistante, called her father a coward.

Hoapili told the court he was truly sorry for what he did.

UH plan for Mauna Kea summit OK'd

HILO » The state Board of Land and Natural Resources has given final approval to the University of Hawaii's comprehensive management plan for the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island.

Last April, the board approved the plan on the condition that the university develop four subplans relating to public access, cultural resources, natural resources and telescope decommissioning.

The subplans were approved Thursday on a 6-0 vote. Big Island member Robert Pacheco recused himself.

The university's Institute for Astronomy leases more than 11,000 acres of state land at the summit, which is home to about a dozen of the world's most advanced telescopes. Opponents say the management plan should remain in the hands of the board, not the university.

Easter items allowed at Punchbowl

Visitors to the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl may place potted plants and artificial flowers for Easter at grave sites beginning Tuesday.

The items will be removed on April 14. Any prematurely placed items will be removed, according to a Department of Veterans Affairs news release.

Permanent plantings, statues, vigil lights, glass objects and toys are not allowed. Decorations and flowers may not be secured to headstones or markers. Metal hooks, which present a safety hazard during mowing operations, cannot be used to secure items.

NUKU'ULOFA, TONGA

Tongans charged in ferry sinking that killed 74

Tongan police have charged three people with manslaughter in the death of one of 74 passengers who died last year in a ferry sinking that was one of the tiny South Pacific country's worst disasters.

Police Commander Chris Kelley said yesterday that a charge of sending an unseaworthy ship to sea had also been laid against ferry operator Shipping Corp. of Polynesia.

The manslaughter charges—against corporation managing director John Jonesse, ferry captain Makahokovalu Tuputupu and first mate Viliami Tu'ipulotu—relate to the death of one passenger. Other charges may be laid later concerning the deaths of the other passengers, Kelley said.

Manslaughter in Tonga carries a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.