Police yesterday asked for the public's help in finding a 52-year-old Kane'ohe woman who was last seen walking on Pali Highway on Friday at 12:45 p.m.

Paula Marie Iverson was walking toward the Pali Lookout on Friday, police said. A police news release said she was emotionally distraught.

Iverson is 5 feet 8 and 135 pounds and has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a beige blouse and pants and carrying a red umbrella.

Anyone with information on Iverson's whereabouts can call Honolulu CrimeStoppers at 955-8300 or *CRIME on a cell phone.

PIPE BREAK AFFECTS HAWAI'I KAI HOMES

Seven homes in Hawai'i Kai were without running water after an 8-inch-diameter pipe broke last night on Wailua Street.

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply stationed a water wagon in the area to provide people with drinking water.

The pipe break was reported at about 6:30 p.m., board spokeswoman Wanda Yamane said.

Police closed the street's townbound lane and repairs were expected to last through the night. Traffic was detoured to other neighborhood streets, including Hawai'i Kai Drive and Lunalilo Home Road.

HEARING TODAY ON PUBLIC SAFETY CHIEF

The state Senate Public Safety Committee has scheduled a hearing today on acting Public Safety Director Clayton Frank's appointment to head the department through 2010.

Frank has been warden and administrator of the Halawa Correctional Facility and has held a variety of positions with the department over the past 25 years.

He's been serving as acting director, overseeing prisons and state public safety agencies since his appointment was announced in May.

Frank was Gov. Linda Lingle's second choice for the job. Her first, Iwalani D. White, was rejected by the state Senate in April.

$540K GRANT TO AID ISLANDERS AT UH

The Ka'imi'ike Program at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa has received a five-year, $540,000 grant from the Opportunities for Enhancing Diversity in the Geosciences Program at the National Science Foundation.

The award will support the program's initiative to engage Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander undergraduate students in geoscience degree programs and careers.

Pathways into the fields of geoscience are being encouraged through an exploratory summer institute where local geoscientists showcase their careers and research to students.

Barbara Gibson, researcher with the Pacific Biosciences Research Center at UH-Manoa and principal investigator on the grant, said in a UH news release: "Through project activities, students will become more aware of geoscientist role models and job opportunities within the Hawaiian Islands."

H-2 LANE CLOSURES THROUGH FRIDAY

The state Department of Transportation will be closing lanes on the H-2 Freeway in both directions from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily through Friday this week for tree-trimming and landscaping work.

The right lane in the north-bound direction from Pineapple Road to the Mililani Mauka exit will be closed, as will the right lane in the south-bound direction from Wahiawa to the Mililani off-ramp.

FAMILY COURT'S RADIUS HONORED

Hawai'i Family Court Judge Karen Radius has been named 2007 state Jurist of the Year.

Radius helped establish the First Circuit Girls Court in 2004. One of the first courts of its kind in the nation, Girls Court addresses the needs of at-risk and delinquent girls by providing more gender-specific programs and services. Among her many activities this year, Radius accompanied eight girls to surfing lessons designed to teach life skills and, on Mother's Day, involved mothers and daughters in craft projects as a means of strengthening their relationships.

Radius was appointed a full-time judge in 1994.

LIFE FOUNDATION GETS $424,500

The Life Foundation has received $424,500 in grants to fund its various HIV care and prevention services.

The largest grant is $250,000 from the U.S. Office of Minority Health. The three-year grant will be used to address the needs of Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander communities on O'ahu at risk for HIV and/or who are HIV-positive.