Neighbor Island briefs
Ha'iku girl's injuries investigated by police
WAILUKU, Maui — Maui police are investigating a suspected child abuse case involving a 2-year-old Ha'iku girl hospitalized with multiple injuries.
The case was referred to detectives by the child's pediatrician after she was brought in for medical care Monday, said Lt. Glenn Cuomo of the Maui Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division.
Cuomo declined to provide details on the extent of the girl's injuries, saying only that she had "multiple injuries." The child was flown to Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women and Children in Honolulu, where she was reported in critical condition last night, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Police yesterday questioned the girl's mother and her boyfriend, Cuomo said. No arrests have been made.
Long-time volunteer heads Big Isle drive
HILO, Hawai'i — Alberta Dobbe, a 20-year volunteer with Hawai'i Island United Way, has been named 2001-02 campaign chairwoman.
Dobbe volunteered as co-chair for the 2000-01 campaign that raised $1.33 million, reaching the fund-raising goal for the 33 United Way agencies.
A native of Laupahoehoe who survived the 1946 tsunami, she is executive director of the East Hawai'i Chapter of the Visitor Aloha Society of Hawai'i and once led the Girl Scout organization on the Big Island.
Dobbe is involved in several other volunteer programs and serves as a consultant for an annual math and science conference for Big Island girls that she helped establish.
California woman drowned off Kaua'i
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — A woman whose body was recovered Thursday from the ocean off Waipouli drowned, an autopsy has concluded. Police identified her as Marilyn Van Dusen, 56, a visitor from California. She died after jumping into the water off the East Kaua'i beach.
Documentary shows Pacific isle risks
A documentary film on the impacts of global warming and rising sea levels on Pacific island nations will be shown and discussed Thursday at the East-West Center before a Hawai'i Public Television airing on Earth Day Sunday.
"Rising Waters: Global Warming and the Fate of the Pacific Islands," was produced by Andrea Torrice with the Independent Television Service and Pacific Islanders in Communications, with financing from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
The film explores international policies and the lives of people affected by climate change, from the Pacific to Manhattan Island.
The public is invited to a screening and panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Keoni Auditorium, Imin Center at the East-West Center.
After the film, there will be discussion by Torrice, Joe Konno of the Chuuk Environmental Protection Agency and Eileen Shea of the East-West Center Climate Project, and closing remarks from Carlyn Tani of Pacific Islanders in Communications.
The hourlong documentary will be broadcast at 6 p.m. Sunday on Hawai'i Public Television.
Maui teacher wins science award
WAILUKU, Maui — St. Anthony Grade School science teacher Valerie Delos Santos-Duarte has been awarded a $10,000 Toyota Tapestry grant for her "Planting a Native Future" project.
The award is sponsored by Toyota Motor Sales USA and is administered by the National Science Teachers Association.
Santos-Duarte, who has been teaching science for 15 years, will be supported in her project by fellow science teacher Teri Tavares, along with help from Maui Community College and John Medeiros of the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Students involved in the "Planting a Native Future" project will explore Maui's native plants, learn about the relationships between water, soil, plant and animal life, investigate the needs of native plants for survival in different island biomes, and establish a plant nursery on campus, a news release said.
Koke'e volunteers to help at Wailua
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Members of the Koke'e Resource Conservation Program, a group of volunteers who normally restrict their work to the island's mountain areas, will join the Sierra Club Saturday to search for and remove miconia trees from the Wailua River area.
Miconia, a fast-growing invasive weed, is spreading in the Wailua River State Park area, but teams are attempting to control it by manually eradicating the trees before the species becomes established.
"To date, we have removed 362 plants from a 51-acre area of the park," said Ellen Coulombe, volunteer coordinator for the conservation program.
To help, call Koke'e Museum at (808) 335-9975 or e-mail rcp@aloha.net.
