HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Boy, 7, hurt after fall from 3rd story
Advertiser Staff
A 7-year-old boy fell from the third story of a Kalihi apartment building last night and was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in serious condition.
Bryan Cheplic, Honolulu Emergency Services spokesman, said the boy fell from a Mayor Wright public housing apartment about 6:45 p.m. He was alert and talking when paramedics took him to the hospital.
MA'ILI
SHARK SIGHTING SPARKS WARNINGS
Lifeguards posted warning signs at Ma'ili Beach on the Wai'anae Coast yesterday after an 8-foot shark was spotted offshore.
Bryan Cheplic, a Honolulu Emergency Services spokesman, said the shark was spotted about 3:13 p.m. The shark did not appear aggressive.
While the signs were up, lifeguards urged people to stay out of the water. Cheplic said the water at the beach was flat yesterday, so there were few surfers.
He said lifeguards will decide this morning whether to put up the signs for a second day.
WAIPAHU
MOPED DRIVER, 53, CRITICALLY INJURED
A 53-year-old moped driver was critically injured last night after an accident in Waipahu. The accident happened about 7:45 p.m. on Mokuola Street.
Bryan Cheplic, Honolulu Emergency Services spokes-man, said the victim was taken to The Queen's Medical Center in critical condition.
Traffic police were investigating the cause of the crash last night. It was not immediately clear how the accident happened or whether other vehicles were involved.
KAUA'I
PUBLIC WARNED OF LIVE-FIRE TRAINING
KEKAHA — State Department of Land and Natural Resources enforcement officers will be conducting live-fire exercises from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 22 to Aug. 25 at the Kekaha National Guard Firing Range at Mana.
The public is asked to avoid the area during the exercise. The firing range is about a mile west of 'Akialoa and Kaumuali'i Highway in Kekaha, West Kaua'i.
The range has been used for more than 40 years and is reserved for state law enforcement agencies and the Garden Island Pistol Club. It is maintained by the Hawai'i National Guard.
BIG ISLAND
TWO MEN LAUDED FOR HELPING OFFICER
HILO — Two Big Island residents received commendation plaques last week from Police Chief Lawrence K. Mahuna for going to the aid of an officer who was being attacked in Hilo.
On April 20, Officer Paul Kim was assaulted by a 41-year-old man on Wainaku Street in Hilo as Kim attempted to arrest the man.
During the attack, Wayne Rubio of Hilo and Wyatt Lotz of Mountain View helped the officer hold and restrain the man until backup units arrived.
"The Police Department is very thankful for citizens like these two citizens here," Mahuna said as he presented the plaques at a meeting of commanding officers in Hilo on Thursday.
Mahuna said the normal reaction in a physical struggle is to run away or refuse to help. "But these individuals gave of themselves, and I think we should honor them," he said.
STATEWIDE
$500K TO HELP HOMELESS YOUTH
Gov. Linda Lingle has released $500,000 to the Hawai'i Youth Services Network to help runaways and homeless youth.
The funding will help the network and its partners, nonprofits on O'ahu, Maui and the Big Island, to expand a federally funded program aimed at helping young people gain skills for successful independent living.
The money will also go toward providing long-term housing for youth, family counseling, drug abuse education, healthcare, vocational planning, financial assistance and parenting classes.
"The issue of homelessness affects all ages from keiki to the elderly," Lingle said. "Many youth 'age out' of state assistance programs ... or lose access to the support systems that can help them."
