Advertiser Staff
Man dies while scuba diving
LIHU‘E, Kaua‘i — A 36-year-old Arizona man died yesterday while scuba diving off Po‘ipu.
Police said Doug Fisher of Tempe, Ariz., was with a group when others lost track of him. A diving instructor found his body in 15 feet of water off the Beach House Restaurant.
An autopsy was ordered.
Maui man dies in pickup truck crash
WAILUKU, Maui — A 44-year-old Honokohau man died Sunday night from injuries suffered when the pickup truck he was riding in struck a utility pole on P¬lehu Road in Pu‘unene.
Bradfred W.C. Chung was pronounced dead at Maui Memorial Medical Center.
The victim’s son, Nathaniel B.W. Chung, 19, was driving the 1984 Toyota pickup truck toward Kahului about 7:53 p.m. when he apparently lost control on a curve, ran off the road and collided with the utility pole, police said. The elder Chung, who was not wearing a seat belt, was thrown from the vehicle.
The driver suffered a cut to his forehead and refused medical treatment.
Chung’s death is the sixth traffic fatality on Maui this year compared with three at this time last year.
Toxin found in air of Maui building
WAILUKU, Maui — A toxin that can cause lung and skin irritation and a burning sensation in the eyes has been found in the air inside a Maui County building that has been closed for nearly two weeks because of health concerns.
County officials still don’t know what the source of the toxin is and what to do about it. More results of air tests conducted last week at the Kalana Paku‘i Building are expected in the next few days from the county’s consultant, INALAB Inc. of O‘ahu.
In the meantime, some 40 Planning Department and Land Use and Codes Administration employees continue to work in temporary offices.
INALAB has made a preliminary identification of the toxin as being either the chemical 1,2-phenylenediisothiocyanate (PDITC), or a close relative of the substance. The contaminant may be coming from outside the building, according to the consultant, and may not be related to the recent maintenance of the air-conditioning system.Ê
The building was shut down March 2 after workers reported irritation, respiratory ailments and the presence of a foul odor.
Police arrest teens for drinking
LAHAINA, Maui — Police arrested 16 Maui youths for drinking alcohol in a Ka‘anapali hotel.
Most of those arrested at 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Embassy Vacation Resorts were 15 to 17 years old, said Capt. Lawrence Hudson of the Maui Police Department’s Lahaina District.
They were released into their parents’ custody.
The arrests were carried out with the help of a federal Youth Deterrence Grant that aims to apprehend underage drinkers before they get into a vehicle and drive off, said Lt. Charles Hirata of the MPD Traffic Section.
South Kona park fee is changed
HONAUNAU, Hawai‘i — Effective May 1, the fee to visit Pu‘uhonua o Honaunau National Historic Park in South Kona will be raised to $5 per vehicle, or $3 per person for those who arrive by other means.
Visitors now pay $2 per person to enter the park. The park, formerly known as the City of Refuge, was established in 1961. Spokesman Gordon Joyce said vehicles with three or more persons will be paying less under the new fees.
Eighty percent of the net proceeds from entrance fees remain in Kona for upgrading the park.
Joyce said the park drew about 420,000 visitors last year.
Other fees will not be changed, including $10 for an annual pass to the Kona site; $50 for a pass good at all national parks; and a one-time $10 charge for the Golden Age Pass for those 62 or older. Children 16 and under are admitted free.
Thurston Lava Tube walls to be rebuilt
VOLCANO, Hawai‘i — National Park Service crews yesterday closed restrooms and a portion of the loop trail at the Thurston Lava Tube in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park to allow reconstruction of 80 feet of stone walls built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Joe Gambsky, roads and trails supervisor, said the work will repair damage from age, soil erosion and inadequate footing.
Visitors still will be able to see the lava tube, one of the main features on Crater Rim Drive, by entering and existing from the back side of the large natural feature. Those needing restrooms will have to go to the Kilauea Visitor Center or the Jaggar Museum.
Visiting preservation specialists from Yosemite National Park in California and the Historic Preservation Training Center in Maryland will supervise the work to ensure that the historic appearance and architecture is retained.
It is uncertain how long the project will take because the work is being regarded as a staff training exercise.
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