Eighteen school students were injured in two separate accidents yesterday morning, none seriously, when the buses they were in were involved in accidents.

In the first accident, a bus collided with a car about 7:25 a.m. yesterday at the intersection of Ka'aholo and Leia streets in the Village Park area of Waipahu.

Seven of the students were taken to one hospital and six to another, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department.

Four of the students are in high school, while the remaining nine are in elementary school.

The drivers of the bus and the car were not injured, Cheplic said.

The second accident involved two buses at 8:52 a.m. near the Waimalu off-ramp.

Five students were taken to the hospital. One bus rear-ended another and caused about 10 gallons of fuel to spill, said Honolulu Fire Capt. Terry Seelig. None of the fuel went into the storm water run-off drain.

All those taken to the hospital were reported to be in stable condition, Cheplic said.

SWINE FLU TALLY INCREASES TO 82

Nine new cases of swine flu have been confirmed on O'ahu, bringing the number to 82 in Hawai'i, the state Health Department announced yesterday.

Six are adults and three are school-age children. All have recovered or are recovering at home

So far, the Big Island has two cases and Maui has one. The other 79 are on O'ahu.

The Health Department will move to weekly updates beginning next week, and the next case update will be posted on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at www.hawaii.gov/health. Updates thereafter will be posted each Wednesday at 11 a.m.

SOME H-1 LANES TO CLOSE NEAR MAKAKILO

Alternating one- and two-lane closures will take place on H-1 Freeway west-bound from the Makakilo Drive overpass to the Campbell Industrial Park off-ramp through 8 a.m. on Monday as the state Department of Transportation completes a two-part road resurfacing project in the area.

Work began yesterday at 10 p.m.

Crews will keep two lanes open at all times to avoid the massive traffic backlogs that occurred during the first phase of the project last month. The off-ramp will remain open throughout the process.

LAW LETS COUNTIES REGULATE SEGWAYS

Counties may prohibit or regulate "electric personal assistive mobility devices," such as the two-wheeled vehicles called Segways, under a measure signed by Gov. Linda Lingle.

The legislation, Senate Bill 281, permits counties to restrict the devices' use on sidewalks and bicycle paths.

The measure seeks to deal with the sometimes dangerous confluence of pedestrians and bicycles with Segways and similar vehicles, which can move swiftly and make sharp turns.

Current state law allows such vehicles to move at speeds of up to 8 mph. The new law would not change that limit.

The builder of Segways supported the bill, but there was opposition from groups representing the disabled, who wanted an exemption for motorized wheelchairs.

$7 MILLION GOING TO AIRPORT PROJECTS

Hawai'i will receive two airport-related grants totaling more than $7 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawai'i, announced yesterday.

One is for more than $6.8 million to construct a new Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting station west of the existing one at Moloka'i Airport.

Construction is expected to start in September. The new facility will be sound-proof and will accommodate two ARFF trucks, three dorm rooms, a kitchen, fitness center, dining room and watch alarm roof. In addition, an automated weather-observing station, operated by the Federal Aviation Administration, will move to the new ARFF station.

The second grant is aimed at completing noise-exposure maps at Hilo International Airport.

PARENTS NOTIFIED OF SLUR IN YEARBOOK

Wai'anae High School has sent home letters to parents informing them of a racially offensive photo in the school's yearbook, the state Department of Education said.

In a photo of the senior class on the football field, a group of students are seen holding letters that spell out a racial slur commonly referred to as the "N word."

In the letter, principal JoAnn Kumasaka writes: "It is neither the policy nor practice of the Hawaii State Department of Education and Waianae High School to sanction this type of insensitive behavior toward African Americans or any ethnic group."

Kumasaka asked that students return their yearbooks to the school office where students will be provided with reprints to cover the inappropriate photo, which appears on page 76.

On Wednesday, Kumasaka told The Advertiser that only four students in question had been identified. The school is investigating the incident and discussing disciplinary action.

Parents who have questions should call the school's vice principals at 967-7017.