Hawai'i briefs
Advertiser Staff
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Man loses $4 million lawsuit over fall
A Maui jury yesterday denied monetary damages to a tree-trimmer who sued Maui County for more than $4 million for injuries he received while climbing a coconut tree at a county park.
The jury in Circuit Judge Shackley Raffetto's courtroom deliberated for about four hours before finding in favor of the county.
Palavilala Fifita sued the county for injuries he suffered when a tree he was climbing fell at Kihei's Kalama Park on Dec. 28, 1999. Fifita, an employee of a company hired to trim the park's trees, suffered spinal cord injuries that have prevented him from working.
According to testimony, the tree fell because the trunk was rotting nine inches below ground level.
Fifita's attorneys argued that county officials ignored obvious signs that the tree was defective.
But attorneys for the county said the tree appeared healthy, and even tests may not have shown anything was wrong, said county attorney Laureen Martin.
Kaua'i library cutting hours
The Princeville Public Library on Kaua'i will reduce its hours starting today because of a temporary staff shortage.
The library will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 1 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. It will be closed Sundays and Mondays.
Hours will be extended after the staff shortage is resolved.
HONOLULU
HPU professor receives honor
Mary Sheridan, professor of social work in the College of Liberal Arts at Hawai'i Pacific University, has been named Outstanding Woman Leader of the Year in the private-sector category by the Organization of Women Leaders.
For several years, Sheridan has served as corresponding secretary for the group of Hawai'i women business executives. The group was formed in 1984.
LEEWARD O'AHU
Meeting slated in Makakilo
The Friends of Makakilo has scheduled a community meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday to discuss a proposed moratorium on residential development in Makakilo.
The meeting will be held at the Makakilo Recreation Center in the park at the top of Makakilo Drive.
Call Doris or Kioni Dudley at 672-8888.
O'AHU'S NORTH SHORE
Man pulled from surf dies
A 23-year-old man found floating face down Sunday morning off a North Shore beach later died at Kahuku Hospital.
The medical examiner's office said yesterday that the man's identity was being withheld pending positive identification. The victim, apparently a surfer, was brought ashore near 59-491 Ke Waena Road, police said.
