HAWAI'I BRIEFS
Check on disaster aid at Kahala Mall
Advertiser Staff
State and federal officials will open a Disaster Recovery Center at Kahala Mall today to help people affected by recent severe rains and flooding.
Anyone who suffered losses or damage may go to the center to follow up on their registration for assistance. Register first by calling toll-free (800) 621-3362 or (800) 462-7585 (for hearing and speech impaired) from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hawai'i time, seven days a week.
The center is at Kahala Mall, 4211 Wai'alae Ave. It will be open from noon to 8 p.m. through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
BIG ISLAND
3 RESCUED FROM SWAMPED VESSEL
Big Island firefighters rescued three men in a swamped boat off the Puna Coast yesterday.
When the Fire Department helicopter arrived, the boat was taking on water and capsized, officials said. The three men aboard went into the water and were brought ashore by the helicopter and other rescue personnel. No one was injured.
The rescue took place at about 12:30 p.m., 100 yards off the Maku'u beach area.
CIVIC CENTER PLAN TO BE DISCUSSED
KEALAKEHE — Information on the proposed West Hawai'i Civic Center will be presented June 6 at King Kamehameha's Kona Beach Hotel in Kailua and June 7 at the Konawaena Elementary School cafeteria in Kealakekua.
Both meetings will run from 6 to 8 p.m.
Plans call for locating the civic center west of Kealakehe High School, along Ane Keohokalole Highway and Kealakehe Parkway. It is designed to provide a convenient, one-stop center for county services, a community meeting place, and offices for the mayor and County Council.
CHARITY WALK AT PARKER RANCH
The 28th annual Big Island Visitor Industry Charity Walk, the county's largest single-day fundraiser, will be Saturday at Parker Ranch in Waimea.
The 3.2-mile event, organized by the Hawai'i Hotel & Lodging Association, will begin at 6:45 a.m. for runners and 7 a.m. for walkers. A minimum pledge of $35 per person is required.
The Mauna Kea Resort is offering special kama'aina rates for that weekend. For information or reservations, call (866) 774-6236 or see www.Prince ResortsHawaii.com.
SIGNS ENCOURAGE RESPECT FOR SEA LIFE
KEALAKEKUA — Four interpretive signs were installed at two locations along the Napo'opo'o shoreline of Kealakekua Bay to highlight the area's marine resources and encourage visitors to respect the dolphins, corals and reef fish living there.
One set of signs was placed at Napo'opo'o Wharf and the other at the end of Napo'opo'o Beach Road.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources installed the signs, which were designed by the University of Hawai'i's Sea Grant College. Department Chairman Peter Young said community members Gordon Leslie and Dick Kuenher helped with the project.
One sign mentions the spinner dolphins that frequent the calm waters of Kealakekua Bay to rest, and advises boaters and snorkelers not to disturb them. Another notes that corals are living animals that can be damaged if touched or stepped on.
A third sign explains the bay's diversity using aerial photographs, and the fourth states that Kealakekua Bay is a 315-acre marine life conservation district where visitors are subject to rules designed to protect its marine resources.
STATEWIDE
CALENDAR TO LIST OBON OBSERVANCES
One of the things that make living in Hawai'i special is the annual series of obon festivals held by Buddhist temples and community organizations.
The bon dance season begins in June and continues through August. The Advertiser will publish its annual bon dance calendar June 4. Each week's bon dances will be listed in the weekly TGIF and Faith calendars as well.
If your organization is planning an obon observance, we'd like to hear from you by May 26. Include time, date, place, events planned and phone number. Write: Bon Dance Calendar, Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax 525-8055; or islandlife@honoluluadvertiser .com, with "Bon Dance Calendar" in the subject line.
