PTA opens areas this weekend for bow hunting
Army officials are opening several training areas for bow hunting at Pohakuloa Training Area 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Training areas 2, 10 and 11 will be open for bow hunting of mammals only. Hunters are allowed one pig, one goat and one sheep, per day, in keeping with state bag limits. Shooting sheep with blue collars is not permitted. All hunters must check in and check out at one of the following hunter’s check-in stations: Kilohana, located on Saddle Road between mile markers 43 and 44, or Puu Huluhulu, located at the intersection of Mauna Kea Access Road and Saddle Road near mile marker 28. Check out time is no later than 7:30 p.m. each day.
Hunting passes were provided at the check-in stations beginning 5 p.m. Friday. These passes must be signed and placed on the vehicle’s dashboard. Hunters who do not have a signed hunting pass on their dashboard will be barred from hunting for 30 days.
Hunter access to training area 2 is through the northern gates 1 to 5 on Highway 200. Hunter access to training areas 10 and 11 is through the northern gates 1 to 6 on Highway 200.
For more information, call the PTA Hunter’s Hotline at 969-3474; visit garrison.hawaii.army.mil/pta, and click on the “Hunting” tab; or refer to instructions on the hunting pass. Hunters can also call 969-2411 or 656-3154 during business hours.
Fire Department rescues hunter
The Fire Department rescued a hunter separated from his hunting partner in a forested area at the end of Ohiki Street in Hawaiian Shores Friday morning.
A crew in a Fire Department helicopter located the hunter at 1:30 p.m. Friday, about three hours after he was reported to be lost. He was extricated by Billy Pugh net and taken to Hilo Medical Center for evaluation.
Police seek missing Naalehu woman
Police are searching for a 65-year-old Naalehu woman who was reported missing.
Maffriette Silk was last seen in Kona Feb. 5 wearing a white leather jacket and a beige dress. She has a medical condition that requires medication. Silk is described as African-American and 5 feet 4 inches tall with a muscular build. She is bald but wears a blonde wig. She has the name “Jesus” tattooed on her left shoulder blade and the name “Maffriette” tattooed on her right bicep.
Police ask anyone with information on her whereabouts to call the Police Department’s nonemergency line at 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Hawaii health exchange targets young adults
HONOLULU — Hawaii’s online health insurance exchange is hoping to boost enrollment by targeting younger adults.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported the Hawaii Health Connector is making an aggressive push this weekend aimed at those who see insurance as an unnecessary expense, including those who are no longer covered under their parents’ plan.
The enrollment drive comes after a national study showed Hawaii with the lowest number of sign-ups under President Barack Obama’s federal health care overhaul.
The state’s online health insurance marketplace created by Obama’s Affordable Care Act has suffered from problems including a two-week-late launch and technical glitches.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, one-third of Hawaii’s enrollees were between the ages of 55 and 64, while 14 percent were between the ages of 26 and 34.
China, Hawaii linked by sister park Agreement
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Wudalianchi National Park in China have announced a sister park agreement to strengthen their shared volcanic heritage by promoting international cooperation and support for the mutual benefit of both parks, park officials said Friday.
The parks both feature active volcanoes — Kilauea in Hawaii and Laoheishan and Huoshaoshan in China. The Chinese park has another 12 inactive volcanoes. Neither of the active Chinese volcanoes are currently erupting. The last significant eruptive period from Laoheishan and Huoshaoshan volcanoes occurred between 1719 and 1721, resulting in large quantities of lava that formed a plateau in the center of the park, and blocked the north-south flowing Shilong River in several places – forming a string of five lakes, which translates to “Wudalianchi.”
The Chinese park is also known for its mineral springs, giant boulders, and lava tubes. Approximately a million people a year visit Wudalianchi National Park, which is located in northeast China in the Heilongjiang province, near the Russian border.
The sister park relationship enables the parks to enrich their personnel through projects of international cooperation, accomplished primarily through the exchange of managerial, technical and professional knowledge, information, and data technology.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park also has a sister park agreement with Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes in South Korea. Like Hawaii Volcanoes, Jeju is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Guam police panel seeks chief’s help
HAGATNA, Guam — The Guam Police Review Commission is struggling and wants the police chief to take more responsibility in helping it.
Pacific Daily News reported commission members met Friday to discuss how the panel can get to the point where it can do its job — hearing citizen complaints against police.
The commission has long struggled to get funding, resources and a meeting space.
Commissioners approved a motion to write a letter to the police chief asking for support.
Police spokesman A.J. Balajadia said the department will reserve comment until it receives the letter.
At Friday’s meeting, commissioners also adopted the Chamorro Land Trust Commission building in Tiyan as the panel’s new home.
Commission member Joana Blas said there’s no rent, but the commission has to pay for electricity and maintenance.
By local and wire sources