A man killed in a Big Island traffic accident on Saturday has been identified as Jordan Thomas Hauge of Kailua, Kona.

Hauge sustained fatal injuries when he lost control of the two-door sedan he was driving on the Hawai'i Belt Highway near Ho'okena and struck an embankment, police said.

Police believe speed and alcohol were factors in the crash.

Hauge was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash, which was the 26th traffic death on the Big Island this year, compared with 25 at the same time last year.

1 SHOT, 1 BEATEN OUTSIDE NIGHTCLUB

Two men were hospitalized in stable condition at The Queen's Medical Center following a beating and gunfire yesterday morning in front of Pipeline Cafe on Pohukaina Street in Kaka'ako.

Police were sent to the scene about 3:40 a.m. after a caller reported hearing four or five gunshots. Shell casings and what appeared to be blood were found outside on the ground near the nightclub, police said.

Police were looking for three vehicles believed involved in the incident: a black Lincoln Navigator, an older white van and a blue Buick or perhaps a different make of car that left the area and headed mauka on Ward Avenue immediately after the shooting.

One of the injured people, a 25-year-old man, was transported by Honolulu Emergency Services paramedics to Queen's in serious condition for treatment of injuries sustained during a beating.

The other man was reportedly admitted to Queen's for treatment of a gunshot wound to the leg.

ELDERLY MAN HURT AS CAR ROLLS OVER

An 80-year-old Waialua man was in critical condition last night after his car veered off Kaukonahua Road and struck an embankment.

The man was alone in the four-door sedan when the crash occurred about 7 a.m., police said. After hitting the embankment and a utility pole wire, the car rolled over and came to a rest upright, police said.

The accident occurred between Wilikina Drive and Kamananui Road near the University of Hawai'i's Experimental Station during clear conditions, closing the road to traffic in both directions for several hours.

Police said the driver may have been affected by a medical condition before the crash. It was not known if speed or alcohol were involved.

APPELLATE COURT OPENING TO PUBLIC

In an effort to make appellate courts "more accessible to members of the public," the Hawai'i Intermediate Court of Appeals will now hear oral arguments on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning next week.

Two cases will be taken up Sept. 12. The first, at 9 a.m., involves a challenge to the Legislature's budgetary transfer of millions of dollars in fees collected by the state from insurance companies.

The second case, filed by the Right To Know Committee against the city, will be argued at 10:15 a.m. It involves allegations that members of the Honolulu City Council violated the state sunshine law by holding closed-door leadership reorganization meetings.

The court hears arguments in the Supreme Court courtroom.

Schedules of future arguments will be at www.courts.state.hi.us.