HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Boy critical after being hit by car
Advertiser Staff
A 16-year-old Kane'ohe boy remained in critical condition yesterday at The Queen's Medical Center after being hit by a car Thursday evening while trying to cross Kamehameha Highway in front of Windward Mall.
Police traffic investigators said the boy was crossing the highway from east to west near the intersection with Ha'iku Road when he was hit about 7:15 p.m. by a 1999 Mercury Cougar driven by a 39-year-old Kane'ohe woman.
Police said the boy was not in a crosswalk. He sustained multiple body and head injuries.
The driver was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but may have been speeding, police said.
BUSINESSES SUE CITY OVER FLOODING
More than 40 Mapunapuna-area businesses are suing the city alleging workers did not adequately clear Moanalua Stream to prevent it from flooding.
Business owners said they suffered damage after nearly two feet of floodwater swept through their facilities during heavy rains Dec. 7 and 8, 2003. The heavy rains overflowed Moanalua Stream, sending water rushing through businesses and creating puddles as deep as five feet in some areas.
The lawsuit, filed in circuit court on Tuesday, says the city did little to clear the stream or ensure adequate drainage despite several complaints from business owners.
Business owners estimate the flood cost them as much as $20 million.
SOLDIERS HELP 'AIEA LOOP TRAIL REOPEN
The state yesterday announced that the 'Aiea Loop Trail has reopened after repairs to an area damaged by a fallen tree.
Parks crews got help last week digging out a new 25-foot trail section from five Schofield Barracks soldiers of C Troop, 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry, state officials said.
State Land Board Chairman Peter Young thanked the Army volunteers for the help. "We welcome volunteers like these who show they value our wilderness areas and want to be involved," he said.
The trail closed Nov. 21.
KAUA'I TRUST BUYS KILAUEA WETLANDS
KILAUEA, Kaua'i — The Kaua'i Public Land Trust has bought three acres of Kilauea riverfront wetland adjacent to the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, to be owned by Kaua'i County and managed for conservation.
The money to buy the land from the Zweben family of Kilauea came from a $1.46 million National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration grant and a $50,000 grant from The Nature Conservancy of Hawai'i. It is next to five acres that the same family donated to the land trust in 2003.
The land, which will benefit native Hawaiian waterfowl, will be be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Kaua'i Public Land Trust and Kaua'i County. The Kilauea Neighborhood Association has been active in conservation work around the area.
Public access for fishing and ocean recreation will be preserved.
