Neighbor Island briefs
Three youths arrested at Haleakala park
KIPAHULU, Maui — Three teenage boys were arrested on federal charges after a disturbance Tuesday night at the Haleakala National Park Kipahulu District campground.
The incident started with yelling between two groups of unsupervised teens on a spring break outing with alcohol in their possession, said Supervising District Ranger Mark Tanaka-Sanders.
Park rangers and Hana police responded to a report of disorderly conduct around 10:30 p.m.
Ruling permits trial of O'ahu man
HILO, Hawai'i — Big Island Judge Riki May Amano ruled yesterday that an O'ahu man is mentally fit to stand trial for a fatal crash that occurred while he was trying to elude police.
Richard Rosario, 20, is charged with manslaughter for the Sept. 7 death of Ellison Sweezey, 31, a Hilo college student and mother of five.
Rosario allegedly stole a 1989 Nissan Sentra belonging to his girlfriend's father in the Hawaiian Beaches subdivision near Pahoa. During a high-speed chase covering nearly 20 miles from Puna to Hilo, Rosario ran a series of red lights on Kanoelehua Avenue, prosecutors said, and collided with a 1987 Honda Accord near the entrance to the Prince Kuhio Shopping Plaza.
Sweezey was a passenger in the Honda, driven by her sister from California.
A three-member psychiatric panel determined that Rosario was capable of assisting in his own defense.
Amano will set a trial date at a hearing April 6.
Underage drinkers targeted on Big Isle
HILO, Hawai'i — Big Island police are continuing a crackdown on underage and illegal drinking in cars and public places.
With help from a federal grant to pay for overtime and with cooperation from the county Liquor Control Department and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources, police have arrested 130 people since December, 85 were drinkers under the legal age of 21.
The focus, said Sgt. Randy Apele, is traffic safety and other problems, such as assaults and vandalism that result when youths consume alcohol.
Last weekend, police arrested 12 illegal drinkers in raids from the hotel district on Banyan Drive to lonely pullouts in upper Kaumana.
Apele said police are beginning to see a difference after four months of sweeps. "Some attitudes are changed. Some parents thank us because they did not know what their kids were doing," he said.
Officials plan to seek a renewal of the federal grant that expires in September, Apele said.
Kaua'i bypass road to open in two months
KOLOA, Kaua'i — The one-mile second phase of the Koloa bypass road looks done, but it will be at least two months before it can be opened, said county engineer Cesar Portugal.
The $4.5 million federally funded project was delayed last year to reroute it around a pair of large lava tubes that contained endangered insects.
Now it has been delayed because the pavement is too thin, Portugal said.
The county canceled its contract with Doreen Sanchez-Rego Contractor after the roadway was not brought to federal standards by March 15, when it was scheduled to be completed.
Portugal said the county has called on the contractor's bonding agent to complete the work, or the county will arrange to do it. "We've given them 60 days to complete the job," he said.
Portugal said paving on the road is required to be at least 2 inches thick, but was found in some places to be as much as an inch too thin.
Power failures affect three islands
Maui Electric Co. crews responded to power failures on two islands yesterday. A blackout also hit Big Island residents
On Maui, a vehicle hit two utility poles on Hana Highway in Pa'ia at 12:35 a.m., causing a blackout for about 500 customers in the Ku'au area, according to MECO Dispatch Supervisor Stephen Bianco.
Power was restored to half the affected homes and businesses about two hours later, but the other half had to wait 11 hours for one of the utility poles to be replaced before the electricity could be turned on, Bianco said.
On Lana'i, the failure of a lightning arrestor tripped a circuit at 1:24 p.m. and shut off power to all of Lana'i City and Ko'ele. Electricity was restored to all customers within an hour and 39 minutes, Bianco said.
And on the Big Island, nearly 5,000 residences and businesses suffered a five-minute blackout at 11:56 p.m. Wednesday when a combustion turbine generator in Kona tripped off.
Jay Ignacio of Hawai'i Electric Light Co. said the power outage affected customers in the Kilauea Avenue and Waiakea Houselots areas of Hilo and Palani Road and Hualalai Road near Kailua-Kona.
Vandals return to Kihei Public Library
KIHEI, Maui — Vandals have once again targeted the Kihei Public Library. The latest damage was discovered by a janitor Wednesday morning.
A rock the size of two fists was hurled through a window into the children's area and potted plants outside the building were uprooted, said Branch Manager Janet Fehr. The library was closed for the day to allow staff and volunteers to clean up the mess.
"We had to make sure everything was safe because the glass was everywhere, little tiny shards and big chunks," Fehr said.
The library was closed for two days in early December when rocks and BB pellets were used to shatter windows at the same area of the building. In addition, open beer cans were dumped into the book drop, ruining hundreds of books. That same week, someone smashed floodlights that illuminate the library sign.
