Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
LEEWARD O'AHU
Kapolei schools get traffic help
Beginning tomorrow, special-duty officers will be assigned to five busy Kapolei intersections near area schools until other traffic safety measures can be implemented.
Housing and Community Development Corp. of Hawai'i will post special-duty officers to direct traffic and pedestrians until traffic lights are installed or school crossing monitors are hired, said HCDCH spokesman Darrell Young.
Guards will first be posted at the Kapolei high and elementary schools, and later near Kapolei Middle School and nearby intersections. Parents have complained to the organization about the need for more crosswalks near the schools.
HCDCH also met with the community recently to talk about plans for traffic signals on Kama'aha Avenue and Kama'aha Loop near Kapolei Elementary School. A contractor will be selected in the next two months to install the stoplights and should take three months to complete.
HCDCH handles homeowner, landscaping, environmental and development issues in communities throughout the state.
HONOLULU
Watershed talks scheduled
A series of free lectures by Tom Schueler, director of the Center for Watershed Protection, will be held today and tomorrow to discuss the condition of streams in Hawai'i.
"The Impact of Land Development on Hawaiian Streams" will be discussed from 10 a.m. to noon today at the Waikiki Aquarium. Research on the link between impervious cover and stream and coastal quality will be reviewed, with an emphasis on studies and experiences in other Pacific environments, such as New Zealand.
"Planning the Hawaiian Way — Ahupua'a" will be the topic from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. today at Harris United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. The talk will present some techniques that have worked in diverse watershed conditions and focus on some strategies for developing and sustaining a strong local movement for watershed protection.
"New Strategies to Protect Hawaiian Streams" will be discussed from 3 to 5 p.m. tomorrow at the State Capitol auditorium. The talk will examine the tools used to protect watersheds from land development: small watershed planning, land conservation, aquatic buffers, better site design, erosion and sediment control, stormwater treatment, wastewater controls and stewardship.
The talks are sponsored by the Secretariat for Conservation Biology out of the University of Hawa'i.
EAST HONOLULU
Parent meeting at Kaimuki High
The Kaimuki High School Parent Community Network Center will hold a parent orientation meeting 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28 in the school auditorium.
The meeting will include a question-and-answer period; grade-level sessions to review activities and concerns; an introduction to the freshmen, sophomore and junior projects; and Project Graduation sign-ups for parents of seniors. The school also has scheduled an open house 6:15 to 8:30 p.m Sept. 11.
CENTRAL O'AHU
Heart attack kills Schofield soldier
A 27-year-old Schofield Barracks soldier died Monday morning at Wahiawa General Hospital, the Army said yesterday.
The Army identified the preliminary cause of death as heart failure.
Spc. Lawrence Hatchett, a San Diego native, was an automated supply specialist assigned to the 40th Quartermaster Co., 524th Corps Support Battalion.
Capt. Bob Nelson, acting division surgeon for the 25th Infantry Division (Light), said the cause of the heart failure is unknown at this time. An autopsy is being performed at Tripler Army Medical Center.
"This is a tragic loss for us," said Maj. Gen. Eric T. Olson, commander of the 25th Division and U.S. Army Hawai'i. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to Spc. Hatchett's family and loved ones."
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui reports 12th case of typhus
One more case of murine typhus was confirmed on Maui yesterday, bringing the statewide total to 14.
The latest person diagnosed with the flu-like, rodent-borne illness is from the Kula area, Health Department spokeswoman Janice Okubo said.
That brings the total number of cases on Maui to 12. One case has been reported on Kaua'i and one on O'ahu.
State health officials have stepped up control efforts to help contain a burgeoning mouse population that can contribute to the spread of the disease.
Officials also have urged residents primarily on Maui, Kaua'i and the Big Island to do what they can to help control the mouse population.
