O'ahu briefs

Advertiser Staff and News Services

CENTRAL

Woman killed in car crash

A 21-year-old woman was killed early yesterday in a collision between a van and car at Kamehameha Highway and Pu'u Momi Street in Pearl City.

The woman, identified by the medical examiner as Jonalynn Nakamoto of Honolulu, was a passenger in a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu that was turning left from Kamehameha Highway to Pu'u Momi when it was broadsided by a west-bound Chevrolet van at 12:18 a.m. yesterday. Nakamoto was taken to The Queen's Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead an hour later.

The drivers of the car and van suffered head injuries and were in guarded condition at Queen's, police said.

School library ready to reopen

The library at August Ahrens Elementary in Waipahu reopens today after being closed for a day while officials investigated potential mold problems.

After complaints of minor respiratory problems by school staff members, health workers examined the library and found mold only on water-damaged ceiling tiles. No mold was found on books or in the carpet.

According to a memo sent to faculty yesterday, health officials recommended that the school wipe down the library with wet rags, use an EPA-approved industrial vacuum cleaner to clean the floors and shelves, and remove and replace the damaged ceiling tiles. The school also was urged to replace the filters in the air conditioner.

Mold in schools has come under increasing scrutiny since Hau'ula Elementary was forced to close its library for a year. The library reopened with the start of the school year, but more than 3,000 books had to be tossed out.

At least 12 other schools have had mold problems.

EAST HONOLULU

Four candidates to be at forum

Four of the five City Council hopefuls for the East Honolulu district will be at a candidates forum at 8 p.m. today at Haha'ione Elementary School following the monthly Hawai'i Kai Neighborhood Board meeting.

The candidates — Mike Abe, Charles Djou, Robert Fishman and Cameron Heen — will each be given five minutes to speak. They then will take questions from the audience.

HONOLULU

Hearings set on draft urban plan

Public hearings to review the city's draft Primary Urban Center Development Plan will be held at 7 p.m. today at Moanalua Middle School and Thursday at McCoy Pavilion at Ala Moana Beach Park.

The focus of the meetings will be to present the planning framework for communities from Pearl City to Kahala through 2025. The plan will be used as a guide to zoning, land use and public investment in central Ho-nolulu that is consistent with the city's General Plan.

The Primary Urban Center Development Plan is one of eight regional plans on O'ahu mandated by the City Charter.