Neighbor Island briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
MAUI
Police investigate skeletal remains
Maui Police Department detectives were on Moloka'i yesterday investigating the discovery of skeletal remains in a remote valley on the island's rugged north coast.
The remains were found by hikers Saturday in an area located between the Kalaupapa Peninsula and Halawa Valley, said Lt. Glenn Cuomo. A handgun was found nearby, indicating a possible suicide, Cuomo said.
Detectives were attempting to recover a backpack and other personal effects that would help them identify the remains, he said.
Maui bridge gets design exception
WAILUKU, Maui — The County of Maui's request for a design exception for Kaholopo Bridge in the Hana Highway Historic District has been accepted by the Federal Highway Administration and the state Department of Transportation.
The decision will help preserve the character of the region's famous bridges while qualifying the one-lane Kaholopo Bridge replacement project for 80 percent federal financing, county officials said.
The design exception signifies a significant policy change by state and federal highway agencies, said Public Works Director David Goode. In the past, in order to get federal financing, repairs to older bridges were required to meet modern-day design standards that often conflicted with community wishes.
Goode said it is possible that design exceptions for other Maui bridges might be sought on a case-by-case basis.
The Kaholopo Bridge will be rebuilt to a width of 16 feet, accommodating a single lane of traffic and pedestrians. The cost of the project is estimated at $1 million. The county will pay 20 percent of that cost.
Construction may begin in early 2002.
BIG ISLAND
Falls among elderly conference topic
HILO, Hawai'i — A daylong conference on preventing falls among the elderly will be held Friday at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo.
"Fall Prevention for Older Adults" will feature national experts such as Sarah Olson of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta; Anthony Lenzer, former director of the Center on Aging at UH-Manoa; and E. Percil Stanford of the National Resource Center on Aging and Injury at San Diego State University.
Conference organizer Judith Fox-Goldstein said falls are the sixth-leading cause of death among older adults.
The conference will run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. at the UHH Campus Center. The fee is $75 for professionals and $55 for students or seniors. For information on scholarships, call Tanya Johnson, director of senior programs at UHH, at (808) 974-7603.
For information on the conference, call (808) 974-7555.
UH-Hilo offers star-gazing chance
HILO, Hawai'i — The University of Hawai'i-Hilo will conduct a summer course in "Observational Astrophysics," providing students with access to research-level astronomy telescopes atop Mauna Kea.
The first-time program is being sponsored by a NASA grant under a New Opportunities Through Minority Initiatives in Space Science program.
The course will run from June 12 to July 20. According to program spokesman Nathan Chang, each student will spend six to nine nights observing on the mountain. The rest of the time will be spent in the classroom and in laboratory analysis.
Cost of the course is $50 plus a $2 student fee. For information or to register, call (808) 974-7664.
KAUA'I
Kaua'i prepares for goat-hunting
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The state Division of Forestry and Wildlife will open goat-hunting season on Kaua'i on eight consecutive weekends starting July 21 and ending Sept. 9.
There is a limit this year of two goats per hunter. There are special provisions for rifles, muzzle-loading firearms and archery. The deadline for submitting applications for goat tags is June 14.
For information, call the Division of Forestry and Wildlife on any island.
Medicinal plants topic of lecture
WAILUKU, Maui — "Plants in Hawaiian Medicine" will be the topic of a lecture by Martha Noyes at 7 p.m. Friday at the Cameron Center.
Noyes collaborated with noted ethnobotanist Beatrice Krauss in writing the book "Plants in Hawaiian Medicine." She will speak on Krauss' work and on the healing power of Hawaiian medicinal plants.
The free lecture is being sponsored by Hui No Ke Ola Pona, Ke Anuenue Area Health Education Centers and the Kokua Program. For information, call Napua Spock at (808) 249-9787.
