Well woes force N. Kona water restrictions
Well woes force N. Kona water restrictions
The Department of Water Supply issued a water emergency restriction notice Monday afternoon, after the Queen Liliuokalani Trust well in North Kona, above Mamalahoa Highway, failed Monday morning.
Backup sources came on line Monday afternoon, but because of low water tank levels, these sources are not able to meet normal demand. North Kona water customers are advised to restrict water use to essential use only. Water restriction means a 25 percent reduction in daily water use.
Customers on restriction are in the following areas:
c Kaiminani Street, Hinalani Street and upper Palani Road including all side streets and subdivisions off of these roads;
c Along Mamalahoa Highway from Keopu Heights to Kona Ocean View/Puukala including all side streets and subdivisions off of these roads.
c Along Queen Kaahumanu Highway from north of Kealakehe Parkway to Keahole Airport including NELHA, Keahole Ag Park, all industrial areas, side streets, and subdivisions off of these roads.
The department was investigating the failure’s cause. Officials did not know when repairs would be completed.
Water spigots off fire hydrants are set up for customers to access water during this emergency in the vicinity of Kealakehe Parkway, mauka of the West Hawaii Civic Center and and at the intersection of Keanalehu Street and Puohulihuli Street above Kealakehe High School.
Volcano woman
pleads not guilty
in bicyclist’s death
A 40-year-old Volcano woman pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from a hit-and-run collision that killed a 20-year-old bicyclist last month in Hilo.
3rd Circuit Judge Greg Nakamura ordered Alison Elizabeth Taylor to stand trial on Sept. 10 at 9 a.m.
Taylor is charged with manslaughter, first-degree negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident involving death, driving under the influence of intoxicants, reckless driving and driving with a suspended license. According to police, on April 11 at about 7:30 a.m., Taylor was driving a 2005 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck south on Kinoole Street between Ohea and Puainako streets when she struck Brody Winslow, a Hawaii Community College psychology student, who was riding a bicycle in the same direction.
Police say Taylor then clipped a utility pole, severing it, and fled south on Kinoole before being stopped at the intersection of West Palai Street.
Winslow, originally from Wrightsville Beach, N.C., was pronounced dead less than an hour later at Hilo Medical Center.
Taylor was indicted by a Hilo grand jury on May 9.
Manslaughter is punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment, while negligent homicide carries a possible 10-year prison term.
A bench warrant for Taylor’s arrest was issued with the indictment and she turned herself in to police on Friday afternoon. She was released after posting $25,000 bail. Conditions of her release include no drugs or alcohol.
Taylor is a former pharmacy technician at Windward Pharmacy in the Puainako Town Center in Hilo who was awarded a certificate of merit from Hawaii police for helping stop an armed robbery there in 2010. The pharmacy has since closed.
Case-Hirono
debate postponed
HONOLULU — A debate between Hawaii’s two Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate has been postponed.
Oahu Democrats postponed indefinitely the joint forum with U.S. Rep. Mazie Hirono and former U.S. Rep. Ed Case. Thursday’s forum was going to be the first of five debates before the primary election in August.
It now appears an event before the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association next week will be the first.
Oahu Democrats Chairman Tony Gill said the decision to postpone was made so there could be more time to prepare.
On his website, Case challenged Hirono to debate on Thursday anyway. Campaign Manager Betsy Lin said Hirono will participate when logistical issues are resolved.
Hawaii officials to examine floating
dock debris
HONOLULU — Debris samples from a floating dock system that washed up on West Oahu beaches have been turned over to the Hawaii Department of Health for testing.
State Department of Land and Natural Resources Chairman William Aila Jr. said he collected pieces of plastic foam, concrete and wood over the weekend near Campbell Industrial Park. State health officials on Monday would determine whether the debris is dangerous to animals or humans, Aila said.
The debris on the beaches of Kalaeloa are clearly from a broken floating dock system, possibly from docks at Keehi Small Boat Harbor that broke apart during the March 2011 Japan tsunami or from dock systems at Pearl Harbor, Aila said.
“I realized that we weren’t going to get any (Health Department) guys or my guys out there” over the weekend, Aila said. “So I grabbed a bunch of samples to turn in to DOH.”
The department will look into whether there are any health risks, but won’t be testing the samples because it’s clearly plastic foam, Department of Health spokeswoman Janice Okubo said Monday.
Environmentalist Carroll Cox said he first found a quarter-mile-long debris field offshore while hiking on Friday. By the next day, the debris field was spread over up to three-quarters of a mile, he said, adding that he saw seabirds chasing flying pieces of plastic foam and saw a bird trying to eat a piece.
“It’s laying there leaching into the tide pools and floating in the moss and (seaweed) where a great population of sea turtles lives,” he said. He’s concerned about what could happen if the plastic foam enters the marine food chain.
“We don’t want it breaking down into the tide pool and humans end up consuming the fish at the end of the food chain,” Cox said. “This can take 100 or so years to break down.”
A crew was dispatched to begin cleaning up the debris Monday, state DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said.
Kauai, Maui to get $400K for storm cleanup efforts
HONOLULU — Officials say Maui and Kauai will get a combined $400,000 to clean up damage from heavy storms that hit Hawaii in March.
The money will fund 20 temporary jobs for people to clean and repair damaged homes, land and public structures.
The funds come from the U.S. Department of Labor through its National Emergency Grant.
The grant was announced jointly by Hawaii’s federal congressional delegation.
Cleanup efforts will specifically target homes where owners are eligible for a federally funded weatherization program.
American Samoa firefighter charged
in son’s death
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — A firefighter was charged with manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the death of his 1-year-old son nearly two years ago in American Samoa.
Juliano Tavale, a veteran of the Department of Public Safety, was charged Friday. His defense attorney did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Tavale initially told an emergency room doctor that his son fell off a chair then later hit his head on the dashboard of his pickup truck and passed out, authorities said.
The boy was placed on life support and died the next day.
Police later received a July 2010 report from Dr. James Marone, an emergency room doctor at LBJ Medical Center, who suspected child abuse. His report said the boy was almost totally unresponsive and barely breathing, and that there were several bruises on his upper body and legs.
Court documents say Tavale later broke down and cried, telling police he picked up his son from his sister’s house and put him in the truck without a child restraint seat.
While trying to keep his crying son from crawling to the driver’s side of the speeding truck, he accidentally hit the brakes and swerved, causing the boy to hit the back of his head on the dashboard, he told police, according to the documents.
The boy was then thrown toward the passenger side of the truck and hit his forehead on the door, authorities said. Tavale stopped the truck and tried to resuscitate his son, who was unconscious and not moving, the documents state.
Asked about the boy’s bruises, Tavale said he accidentally slapped his son hard several times before the incident, the documents said.
Tavale is expected to appear in court Tuesday for a hearing.
Fisherman who died off American Samoa identified
PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — The U.S. Coast Guard has confirmed the identity of a fisherman who died in an accident on an American Samoa-based fishing boat.
The Coast Guard says 40-year-old Manolito Galvez of the Philippines died in the accident two weeks ago when the Pago Pago-based MV Carol Linda was about 700 miles north of the U.S. territory’s main island of Tutulia.
Lt. Steven Caskey said the initial report received by the Coast Guard is that the main mast that holds up the boom broke in half and fell on crewmembers.
Another fisherman from the Philippines suffered a broken leg.
The boat’s local agent, K.S. Shipping, couldn’t be reached for comment.
The Coast Guard and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration are investigating.
By local and wire sources