HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Four critically hurt in collision
Advertiser Staff
Four people were critically injured yesterday morning when two cars collided on Kuhio Highway near the intersection with Wailapa Road.
Police said it appeared that a station wagon driven by a 20-year-old Kapa'a man was headed north when it crossed the center line and hit a van carrying a family visiting from Riverside, Calif.
The station wagon's driver was sent to The Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu for treatment, and his 51-year-old female passenger is under treatment at Wilcox Hospital. A 39-year-old man and 12-year-old boy from the van have had surgery at Wilcox Hospital and remain there. Three other family members from the van were treated and released.
Neither car appeared to have been speeding, and neither driver appeared to have been drinking, police said.
FUNDS GO TO STUDY OF SEDIMENTATION
The Environmental Protection Agency has granted the Hanalei Watershed Hui $17,357 to support its environmental education efforts — notably a program on sediment pollution with fifth- and sixth-grade students at Kaua'i north shore schools.
"Sedimentation is harmful to ocean life and is a critical environmental issue in Hawai'i. It is vital to educate students and residents on how to prevent it from happening in their community," said Wayne Nastri, EPA Pacific Southwest Region administrator.
In the school program, students will learn about the effects of sediment on both freshwater and marine ecosystems, and will conduct work to assess the causes of sedimentation and ways to combat it.
SHARKS FORCE BEACH CLOSURE
Kaua'i County lifeguards closed the beach yesterday at Salt Pond on Kaua'i's west side because of shark sightings.
County Ocean Safety Bureau officers said two sharks have been identified in the area, one about 10 feet long and the other a 6-footer. Beachgoers are being urged to use other beaches.
BIG ISLAND
REMNANTS OF BRUSHFIRE PUT OUT
PU'UANAHULU — Big Island firefighters doused hot spots yesterday from a brushfire that burned 1,000 acres in North Kona this week.
No homes or other structures were threatened by the fire, which was contained Wednesday. It burned an area below mile marker 19 on Mamalahoa Highway between two lava flows that created a natural fire break, said Troy Kindred, Hawai'i County Civil Defense chief.
Bulldozers were used to create additional firebreaks while helicopters conducted water drops, he said.
Although the fire never approached inhabited areas, heavy smoke caused some Pu'unani Ranches residents to leave their homes, Kindred said.
EAST HONOLULU
MEETING TO FOCUS ON DEVELOPMENT
Rep. Lyla Berg, D-18th (Kahala, 'Aina Haina, Kuli'ou'ou), is hosting a meeting for the community to discuss development issues and sustainability facing East Honolulu from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 17 at Haha'ione Elementary School cafeteria.
At the meeting will be panelists Brent Dillabaugh, policy director for the Hawai'i Alliance for Community Based Economic Development; Jeff Mikulina, Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter director; and Alyssa Miller, Malama Maunalua organizer.
Before the meeting, from 6:30 to 7 p.m., residents are encouraged to bring in working computers and cell phones with accessories for donation to schools, homeless shelters and workforce training programs.
MOLOKA'I
PROTEST TARGETS LA'AU HOME PLAN
Moloka'i residents protesting Moloka'i Ranch's proposed La'au Point residential development plan a protest march along the coastline in the development area starting at 7 a.m. tomorrow.
The march will go from Dixie Maru Beach south of Kaluako'i to La'au Point, where protesters on Sept. 13 landed by boat and built a 16-foot by 24-foot thatched shelter. For those unable to walk the march route, boats will carry people there from Hale O Lono Harbor.
For details, see the Web site www.savelaau.com or call 558-0111, 336-0510 or 567-9415.
MAUI
TEST HEALTH ON 'LEGS FOR LIFE' DAY
Free screenings for peripheral vascular disease will be offered from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 28 at Maui Memorial Medical Center as part of annual "Legs for Life" day.
Screenings will be limited to 120. To make an appointment, call (808) 242-2536. The event is sponsored by the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation and Maui Radiology Associates.
Peripheral vascular disease, caused by atherosclerosis, or clogging of the arteries due to a plaque build-up, is a warning sign of potential heart attack, stroke or a life-threatening aneurysm.
KALIHI
MAN ARRESTED FOR SUSPICIOUS CHECK
Police arrested a 30-year-old Kapahulu man Wednesday after he allegedly tried to cash a fraudulent personal check at a check-cashing business on Dillingham Boulevard in Kalihi.
Police were told the man entered the store about 12:15 p.m. and attempted to cash the check. A store employee felt the check was suspicious and called the account holder, a 47-year-old man, who said he had not issued the check. Police were called and arrested the would-be check casher.
