Police yesterday arrested a 49-year-old man on Portlock Road for investigation of a hit-and-run accident in which a woman bicyclist was seriously injured after being struck by a car on Kalaniana'ole Highway near Bell Street in Waimanalo.

The woman, 28, suffered open head injuries after being struck by a 2001 gold Acura on the right shoulder of the road at about 7 a.m., police said. She was taken to The Queen's Medical Center.

Traffic investigators said the car and bicyclist were both southbound. The car was weaving and drifted onto the right shoulder, striking the bicyclist.

Witnesses identified the man arrested as the driver of the car who fled the scene, police said. The man was booked for failure to render aid, driving under the influence of an intoxicant, promotion of dangerous drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia, and seven outstanding traffic offenses.

TASK FORCE PLANS 1-DAY CONFERENCE

The Hawai'i 2050 Sustainability Task Force will kick off its public efforts to chart the state's future with a daylong conference Aug. 26 in Honolulu.

The task force is mandated by law to come up with a plan that helps Hawai'i achieve a sustainable future by the year 2050.

The kick-off conference will be designed to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable planning and begin discussion on critical choices and trade-offs to achieve the desired future, officials said at a planning meeting yesterday.

"We need to pay attention or we will not always be able to enjoy the standard of living we have today," said Sen. Russell Kokubun, head of the task force. "This is about where we should go and how we are going to get there in the next 50 years."

For more information about the upcoming conference, call 585-7931, ext. 100.

ABERCROMBIE RAISES $300,000

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie raised more than $300,000 during the past quarter and has $800,000 in cash for his re-election campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission.

Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, is running for his ninth consecutive two-year term. His latest fundraising report is for campaign activity between April and June. The congressman raised about $187,420 from individual donors and $121,120 from political action committees.

DLNR NAMES RESOURCE RANGER

LIHU'E — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources, using Hawai'i Tourism Authority funding, has hired a resource ranger for its Ha'ena and Na Pali Coast State Parks.

Marine scientist Megan Juran, who has served as a monk seal volunteer for the department, has been named to the post.

"We began to place rangers in especially sensitive locations where they will help protect and monitor the natural, historical and cultural resources, encourage voluntary compliance with area rules and provide information and a safety presence for visitors," said DLNR chairman Peter Young.

The resource ranger program, started in 2004, has two rangers on Maui and a fourth is to be named for the Kekaha Kai State Wilderness Area on the Big Island this summer.