HAWAII BRIEFS
Wave kills 'opihi picker on Moloka'i
Advertiser Staff
KAUNAKAKAI, Moloka'i — An 'opihi picker died yesterday after a large wave swept him from the rocks at the Hana'ake seacliffs on Moloka'i's north shore, police reported.
The incident happened about 10:20 a.m., according to Capt. Jody Singsank of the Maui Police Department. Moloka'i firefighters located Christopher C.K. Kaawa's body an hour later about 30 yards from shore.
The 38-year-old Mo'omomi resident was later pronounced dead at Moloka'i General Hospital. Officials are awaiting an autopsy to confirm the cause of death. Singsank said Kaawa sustained cuts and scrapes to his face and limbs.
$3.2M WITHHELD IN FILINGS NETS FINE
A Hawai'i businessman has been sentenced for failing to report $3.2 million in gross income to the state Department of Taxation for 2001 through 2005.
Honolulu District Judge Russel Nagata ordered Donald M. Naruse to pay combined restitution of $131,267 and fines totaling $8,000.
Naruse was the sole proprietor of Island Power Hawaii from 2001 through part of 2004. He was then president of Island Power Hawaii Incorporated in 2004 and 2005.
Department Director Kurt Kawafuchi says Naruse was responsible for filing annual general excise returns for both companies.
BEEF-RECALL SCHOOL LIST RELEASED
The U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday released a list of all school districts nationwide that received beef included in last month's recall of 143 million pounds of beef from a California slaughterhouse.
The Hawai'i schools that were on the list included:
The 226-page document listed school districts that received the meat. It was released after pressure from federal lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-Conn.
DeLauro called the list a victory for children's health, but said the USDA should also release a complete list of retail stores that received the recalled beef.
"There is no reason other than the (meat) industry holding back the USDA," she said. "There is no reason why we shouldn't get that information."
A USDA spokeswoman did not immediately return an e-mail requesting comment.
The agency issued the largest beef recall in U.S. history last month after the Humane Society of the United States released undercover video showing workers at Chino-based Hallmark/Westland Meat Co. forcing sick cows to stand with forklifts, electric prods and high-pressure water hoses.
The slaughterhouse was a major supplier of ground beef to the National School Lunch Program.
Many state and local agencies and school districts had previously told the public which schools had received recalled meat, but yesterday's list was the first complete disclosure by the USDA.
ISLANDS REMAIN 'ABNORMALLY DRY'
All of the islands remained in the "abnormally dry" category this week, although an increase in trade wind showers on the windward slopes may help to ease the situation in county watersheds, The Maui News reported.
The U.S. Drought Monitor, issued weekly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, showed Maui County sliding into an abnormally dry status beginning the week of March 4 and continuing for the next two weeks.
Since March 17, though, rain gauges in two key watersheds have recorded significant rainfall from trade showers on the upper slopes.
The West Wailua Iki gauge recorded more than 8 inches of rain from March 15 through Wednesday, while the Pu'u Kukui rain gauge on the West Maui summit recorded more than 12 inches over the same period.
A new weekly Drought Monitor summary will be issued today and is available at www.drought .unl.edu/dm/monitor.html.
For the week as a whole, a high-pressure system northeast of the islands remained in place and is expected to continue to generate moderate to strong trade winds across Maui County, keeping the skies mostly clear, especially over leeward shores.
Winds on Wednesday were blowing 13 to 16 mph, with gusts up to 25 mph in Kahului.
The National Weather Service said the air mass across the islands remained stable, with warming at midlevels of the atmosphere around Maui County resulting in only a low chance of showers.
BIG ISLE SPEEDING TICKETS AT 1,818
Big Island police have issued 1,818 speeding tickets so far this year as they continue their crackdown on speeding motorists. Sgt. Kelly Kaaumoana-Matsumoto, head of the Traffic Services Section, said police will increase speed checkpoints islandwide.
"The crackdown on speeding is aimed at saving lives," Kaaumoana-Matsumoto said. She noted that of the 33 fatal accidents recorded in 2007, 21 of them—64 percent—were attributed fully or partially to speeding.
"Motorists should be aware that police officers will be on the lookout for speeders," Kaaumoana-Matsumoto said. "We hope this increased enforcement of speed limits will cause motorists to think twice about speeding."
