By local and wire sources
Palani Road closure continues this week
The mauka-bound lanes of Palani Road from Queen Kaahumanu Highway to Henry Street will remain closed this week.
Because of the closure, motorists cannot make a right or left turn from Queen Kaahumanu Highway onto Palani Road, according to the Hawaii County Department of Public Works. The closure will remain in effect through this month.
Motorists looking to head mauka on Palani Road must use Henry Street, according to the department. There are also no left turns permitted from Henry Street onto Palani Road.
Hilo High gymnasium project delayed by high winds
HONOLULU — A gymnasium project at Hilo High School has been delayed because of trouble getting building permits.
The plans for the gym would enable it to sustain winds up to 115 miles per hour, which would allow it to be an emergency shelter but not a hurricane shelter.
However, Hawaii County has not issued a building permit because of a new regulation that calls for the structure to sustain 155 mile per hour winds.
According to Hilo Rep. Jerry Chang, state Civil Defense supports the current plans for the gymnasium, which is intended for school and public use.
Chang said he’s disappointed by the delays and hopes the Department of Education and consultant can work it out without spending too much time and money.
Fight over $90M Maui estate settled
WAILUKU, Maui — A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit over a Maui man’s estimated $90 million estate.
The deal was reached this week, James Krueger, the attorney for one of the parties in the case, said Friday. He declined to reveal details of the settlement, saying both sides had agreed to keep it confidential.
The case involved the estate of Laurence Dorcy, the great grandson of a railroad baron.
Dorcy died at the age of 76 in June at Straub Clinic & Hospital on Oahu. The Star-Advertiser reports that he created a new will before his death that named gas station owner Hans Kanuha the heir to his estate.
That prompted accusations from people who stood to benefit from the original will that the 42-year-old Kanuha had tricked a frail and confused Dorcy into naming him the heir. Among Kanuha’s accusers was Jeffrey Peterson, the personal representative for Dorcy’s estate until January 2011.
Michael Rudy, one of Peterson’s attorneys, said he and his client were pleased with the settlement.
Dorcy, referred to as “The Baron,” controlled a charitable trust established by his great grandfather, railroad baron James Jerome Hill, founder of the Great Northern Railway, according to Rudy.
Krueger said his client was also happy with the deal.
“From Hans’ standpoint (the settlement) is vindication that he was making sure that his adopted father’s wishes were going to take place,” Krueger said.
Carlisle to promote Honolulu in Philippines
HONOLULU — Honolulu’s mayor is heading to the Philippines to promote the city and encourage investment, tourism and cultural exchanges.
Mayor Peter Carlisle will be in the country Sunday to Wednesday. He returns to Honolulu on Thursday.
He says Honolulu’s historic, cultural and family ties with the Philippines are deep and strong. The event is sponsored by the Filipino Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii.
Carlisle will meet with officials and business leaders in Honolulu’s sister cities of Baguio, Cebu, Laoag, Manila and Vigan. He will also attend similar meetings in Badoc and Pasuquin. In Manila, he’ll also meet with U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas and tour the city’s rail transit system.
Suit filed in deadly Kauai glider crash
LIHUE, Kauai — The widow of a Southern California man who died when his motorized hang glider crashed off Kauai is suing the flight company and aircraft manufacturer.
Cynthia Foreman says defective equipment prevented her husband, 53-year-old Ray Foreman of Vista, Calif., and pilot Steve Sprague from freeing themselves when the glider went into the ocean off Honopu Beach on May 17.
Foreman and Sprague died. Cynthia Foreman and her husband were vacationing on Kauai at the time. The National Transportation Safety Board has said witnesses heard a loud pop as the aircraft turned toward the ocean.
Cynthia Foreman filed the lawsuit on Friday in federal court in Honolulu.
A call to a listing for the flight company, Kauai Aerosports, on Saturday was not immediately returned. No one picked up the phone at the U.K.-based aircraft maker, P&M Aviation.
By local and wire sources