HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Shark bites board at Rocky Point
A surfer on the North Shore reported he was knocked off his board at Rocky Point yesterday by what appeared to be an 8-foot tiger shark.
The shark left teeth marks in the board, but the surfer was unharmed.
Lifeguards warned beachgoers from Pipeline to Sunset yesterday that a potentially aggressive shark had been spotted.
Randy Honebrink, state Shark Task Force member, last night said tiger sharks bite people two to three times each year in the Islands. Most often the shark bites either the surfer or the board once, then goes away.
"It's the way they find out if something is edible," Honebrink said.
A spearfisherman was cut in the face and shoulder in October by an 8-foot tiger shark in murky water off Moloka'i.
On April 7, 2004, surfer Willis McInnis, 57, was killed by a shark in murky water off Kahana, Maui.
Safety tips to reduce the chance of shark injury include avoiding murky water; swimming, surfing and diving with others; and staying out of the water when bleeding. More information is available at www.hawaiisharks.com.
BIG ISLAND
Intruder fires at baseyard workers
HILO, Hawai'i — A gunman yesterday fired shots at three state highway workers who caught him trying to steal a backhoe from a baseyard near the 23-mile marker on Hawai'i Belt Road in North Kona, police said.
Police said the shooting happened at 9 a.m. when the workers entered the baseyard and encountered the intruder. As they chased him, the man fired a pistol at them several times.
As of 5 p.m. yesterday, a ground and air search for the shooter was still under way. The man was described as about 5 feet 10; 175 to 200 pounds, tan complexion and medium-length black hair. He was wearing a black shirt and green shorts and carried a black tote bag.
Call the police nonemergency number at (808) 935-3311, or Crime Stoppers in Hilo at (808) 961-8300 or in Kona at (808) 329-8181.
Lawsuit filed in '03 copter crash
HILO, Hawai'i — Family members of the pilot who was killed in a tour helicopter crash in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park in 2003 are suing the companies that manufactured and maintained the aircraft.
Tina Holliday, the wife of Russell Holliday, is suing the companies individually, and as a representative of Russell Holliday's estate and of their minor children, Cheyanne and Austin Holliday
Holliday was piloting a McDonnell Douglas 369D, also known as a 500D, when it crashed in a lava field at Pulama Pali at about 9:30 a.m. on June 15, 2003. The aircraft was operated by K&S Helicopters, doing business as Tropical Helicopters.
A preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash suggested the flight may have encountered engine trouble.
MAUI
Police find 2 men with 100 firearms
WAILUKU, Maui — Nearly 100 firearms, including handguns, semiautomatic weapons and one fully automatic gun, were seized by Maui police from two men in separate incidents linked by the same investigation.
Brian Hyatt, 65, of Kihei, was charged with more than 100 firearm offenses.
David Hakes, 64, of Pukalani, was charged with 59 firearm counts.
WINDWARD
Tow-in surfing courses offered
Windward Community College is offering a required ocean safety certification course for tow-in surfing from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the college's Kane'ohe campus.
The course provides the necessary certification under new tow-in surfing rules that took effect last September.
Jim Howe, operations chief of the city's ocean safety and lifeguard services division, will teach the course.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will receive a Certificate of Professional Development.
The class cost $100, plus a $5 lab fee.
For more information or to register, call 235-7433
EAST HONOLULU
Niu sewer break finally repaired
The city finished repairing a 16-inch sewer main on Kalaniana'ole Highway in Niu Valley early yesterday morning, giving commuters a break by opening all three townbound lanes.
Crews found several holes and cracks in the line that was installed in 1959 and replaced a five-foot section. Yesterday afternoon the area was being repaved. The sewer line carries untreated sewage from the Niu wastewater pumping station to the sewer plant. A leak sprang Monday just before the afternoon commute, stalling traffic for hours. Ê
CENTRAL
Swap meet to benefit schools
A swap meet that will benefit area elementary schools and local charities will be held from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. March 12 at the Gentry Waipio Shopping Center on Waipio Uka Street. Residents are invited to sell their household items including clothes, books and crafts.
Booths cost $20 each and must be reserved by Feb. 28. Application forms are available through Foodland or any of the center's tenants. Call Sherry Goya at 288-2590.
