Neighbor Island briefs
Advertiser Staff
MAUI
Copter rescues three Maui tourists
KAHULUI, Maui — A Maui fire-control helicopter helped rescue three tourists who got into trouble in two incidents Monday. In the first, two lost hikers from Pennsylvania were plucked from the side of the West Maui Mountains above Waikapu after they spent the night on a ridge.
The men, both 23, used a cell phone to call 911 just after 10 a.m. to report their predicament.
Later, the copter helped a Houston man, 58, who fell 20 feet while trying to photograph Puohokamoa Falls.
KAUA'I
Council backs probe of police
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — The Kaua'i Police Commission passed a resolution on Friday supporting an FBI investigation into allegations of corruption within the police department.
A police officer filed suit against the department, claiming fellow officers were involved in gambling and drug trafficking, and that his complaints about the activities were ignored by Police Chief George Freitas.
Mayor Bryan Baptiste has asked the FBI to look into the allegations, and the commission said it supports that action. The commission said it is also considering its own independent review of the case.
Lihu'e woman's home burns
LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Firefighters yesterday escorted an elderly woman out of her burning home, where she was trying to extinguish the flames. The fire department was called to the Uluhui Street, Lihu'e, home shortly after 3 p.m.
Firefighters found two men with garden hoses spraying the fire, and the woman trying to put it out inside the home. The fire crew put out the flames within minutes of arriving. The cause and extent of damages were not immediately available.
BIG ISLAND
Big Island crash victim identified
Big Island police have identified a Puna man who died in a traffic collision Saturday on the Ke'eau-Pahoa Highway as Sunny Kang, 18.
Police said he lost control of his Acura while changing lanes and broadsided a Nissan pickup truck at 11:36 a.m. Kang was pronounced dead at Hilo Medical Center at 12:16 p.m. Two people in the truck were treated for injuries.
Hot lines taking drug, vice calls
HILO, Hawai'i — The Hawai'i County Police Department has set up two hot lines to take calls about illegal drugs and vice-related crimes such as gambling and prostitution.
Callers can remain anonymous, and will be given a case tracking number they can use when calling with additional information. The East Hawai'i number is (808) 934-VICE (or 934-8423); the West Hawai'i number is (808) 3290-ICE (or 329-0423).
Big Isle children to study reefs
HILO, Hawai'i — Big Island youngsters in the fourth through eighth grades can learn about Hawai'i's reefs and marine life in a six-week program.
The Punalu'u Coral Reef Ocean Exploration program will be held 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 16 to July 25, with sessions held Mondays and Thursdays at the Punalu'u Beach Pavilion and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays at the Na'alehu Community Center.
The program is paid for through a grant to the University of Hawai'i-Hilo from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
The fee is $50, but $25 scholarships are available. For more information, call Richard Karasuda at (808) 939-2510 or Ed Yokoyama at (808) 965-2710.
