Prosecutors yesterday charged a Makaha woman with misdemeanor cruelty to an animal after she allegedly beat a peacock to death with a baseball bat.

Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle said a felony animal cruelty charge may be brought only if the animal is a pet.

Sandra Maloney was charged with second-degree animal cruelty, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,000 fine.

Maloney said after the attack that she had asked unsuccessfully for authorities to reduce the population of peacocks in Makaha Valley.

Carlisle said the case "has generated a tremendous of amount of interest in the community." It will be "pursued and prosecuted vigorously by this office."

COAST GUARD PLANE SEARCHES FOR ITSELF

The crew of a U.S. Coast Guard C-130 was both the subject of a search-and-rescue call and the first responder yesterday, Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point said.

Beachgoers called 911 about 11:15 a.m. after seeing the C-130's low approach to a patrol boat off Koko Head during a routine drill.

The Honolulu Fire Department responded to calls of a downed aircraft near the Halona Blow Hole and called the Coast Guard to coordinate a search.

The crew of the C-130 was diverted to help, despite Coast Guard and HFD suspicions that the calls were about the very same C-130.

Rescue crews were stood down within minutes of the call.

FIREFIGHTERS DOUSE RECYCLING-YARD FIRE

Firefighters yesterday extinguished an early morning fire at a metal recycling yard at Campbell Industrial Park, fire Capt. Earle Kealoha said.

The fire, on the property of Schnitzer Steel Hawaii Corp., began about 2:30 a.m. in a pile of metal. About 30 firefighters from six companies battled the fire.

Schnitzer Steel employees used heavy equipment to dismantle the metal heap to give firefighters better access to the flames.

The fire did not threaten any property and no injuries were reported.

ODOR SHUTS DOWN SATELLITE CITY HALL

The Kalihi/Kapalama Satellite City Hall and the Driver License Office at City Square in Kalihi were closed yesterday due to a nuisance odor, the city said.

The driver's license bureau is tentatively scheduled to reopen Tuesday with limited services, including road tests for those who have appointments, financial responsibility and taxi cab operator transactions.

Both offices are tentatively scheduled to reopen with full services Wednesday.

The building, at 1199 Dillingham Blvd., was vacated on May 14 due to a complaint of an odor and remained closed on May 15. The State Office of Hazard Evaluation and Emergency Response reported that the odor was from napthalene — medium-grade fuel oil — being used by a contractor. It is not considered a health hazard, officials said.

ABERCROMBIE PLANS HEALTHCARE FORUMS

U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie will conduct two healthcare community forums to gather detailed information about the problems faced by healthcare professionals and by the public in Hawai'i.

As Congress works to send a healthcare reform bill to President Obama by the end of the year, Abercrombie will be seeking information about the Hawai'i healthcare experience from providers and consumers.

The first event is a healthcare provider forum, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday at The Queen's Conference Center's Mabel Smyth Auditorium. It is for doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, rehabilitation specialists, pharmacists and others involved in healthcare delivery, such as medical suppliers, health insurance administrators, nursing homes operators and long-term-care providers.

The second event will be a public forum at 6 p.m. July 1 at McKinley High School's Hirata Hall. The congressman will summarize the highlights from the providers' forum and seek public feedback.

"Today, healthcare in the United States is way too expensive, way too complicated and leaves way too many people out," Abercrombie said.