Neighbor Island briefs
Advertiser Staff and News Services
KAUA'I
Coast Guard looks for missing man
The Coast Guard searched yesterday for a man believed to have fallen overboard in the Kaua'i Channel.
The 47-year-old man was reported missing Saturday by family members on Kaua'i, said Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Craig Dente. He had set out alone Friday from Nawiliwili in the Lihu'e district, headed toward O'ahu. When he failed to check in Saturday the family became concerned.
A Coast Guard C-130 searched for his 22-foot vessel Saturday and found it yesterday.
A helicopter and Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake were launched. Lt. j.g. Mia Dutcher said the Kittiwake crew boarded the vessel last night and found the throttle on full and the key in the ignition. The vessel was out of fuel but had lots of food and water aboard. They concluded the man had fallen overboard.
Plans were made to tow the boat ashore and a search for the man began in the Kaua'i Channel.
"There is a good chance he is alive," said Coast Guard Lt. Jeff Dolan. "His family said he is an experienced waterman. He may have just been bounced out of the boat by a swell."
Astronaut to visit school
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Astronaut Frank Culbertson, who chatted by ham radio with students at Island School on Kaua'i last year while orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station, will visit Kaua'i tomorrow through Thursday.
Culbertson, who spent 129 days on the space station, will speak at a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wed-nesday at Island School, which is behind the Kaua'i Community College campus in Puhi. Students and parents from around the island are invited.
Culbertson will address kids at Hanalei Elementary at 7 p.m. tomorrow, at the Kaua'i Children's Discovery Museum at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, and Kapa'a Middle School at 9 a.m. Thursday.
For more information, visit www.ischool.org.
BIG ISLAND
Big Island wildfires keep crews busy
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park firefighters continued to fight wildfires ignited by molten lava yesterday.
Fire management officer Jack Minassian said the blaze, which started Saturday and burned nearly 900 acres of forest land, was under control yesterday as intermittent light rain fell on the park while 30 firefighters worked to extinguish hot spots. Another 30 firefighters were available on call.
Crews worked 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the weekend, Minassian said. They will continue patrolling the perimeter and monitoring fire hazards by air.
The lava flow was stationary yesterday but expected to eventually continue on a course down Pulama Pali. The fire burned patches of kupukupu, or swordferns, as well as tropical rain forest areas containing hapu'u, 'ohi'a, maile, kopiko and kolea.
No one has been injured, no homes are threatened and the park remained opened to visitors.
