Hawaiian will add 23 to 25 additional flights for daily service within the islands throughout the next several weeks. Some will offer nonstop travel routes between Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. — AP
Molokai man runs over grandchild, 4, with tractor
HOOLEHUA, Molokai — A 4-year-old Molokai boy was in stable condition after his grandfather accidentally ran over him with a tractor, police said Thursday.
Elijah Huff Jr. was riding on the tractor driven by his grandfather, Walter Mendes, on Wednesday near the Molokai airport, Maui police said.
The boy stepped off the tractor when it stopped and Mendes tried to reach for him. But his foot slipped off the clutch, causing him to run over his grandson, police said, adding that it was an accident.
The boy broke his arm and was preparing to be transferred to a children’s hospital in Honolulu, said Mendes’ wife, Kathleen. Mendes was at his grandson’s hospital bedside, she added.
“He’s talking,” she said of Elijah. “He’s already telling his story. He’s doing really, really well.”
The boy loves riding the tractor with his grandfather, who was moving it on the family’s property at the time, she said. The family grows native dry land shrubs and trees.
Hawaiian Airlines to establish Maui hub
HONOLULU — Hawaiian Airlines will soon be boosting its connections with a new travel hub in Maui.
The company announced Thursday the expansion of its operations with a Maui hub that will allow for additional flights between neighboring islands and the West Coast.
Airline CEO Mark Dunkerley said the hub will increase service between Maui and other islands by 25 percent and fills a need identified by travelers.
Hawaiian will add 23 to 25 additional flights for daily service within the islands throughout the next several weeks. Some will offer nonstop travel routes between Maui, the Big Island and Kauai. — AP