Hiker rescued from Waipio Valley
Fire Department personnel rescued a 23-year-old man Thursday evening in Waipio Valley.
Dispatchers received a dropped 911 call at about 5:10 p.m. When the caller was located, she told fire personnel she saw a person on the trail to Waimanu Valley using a flashlight to signal people on the beach.
Fire Rescuers were dispatched and the man, who was uninjured, was lifted out of the valley by helicopter.
Reported boat assault leads to charges
A Kona man has been charged with assault in connection with a confrontation on a commercial dive boat.
In response to a 12:04 p.m. call Tuesday, officers learned that an unknown man had reportedly boarded a boat in waters off Kohanaiki Beach Park while a dive tour was in progress. He reportedly argued with the 54-year-old male captain, punched him and then jumped off the boat.
Police investigation led to the the identity of a suspect, 39-year-old Cheyenne James Gaspar of Kailua-Kona, who turned himself in at the Kona police station Thursday. He was arrested and charged with third-degree assault and then released from custody after posting $1,000 bail.
Monument has highest percent of unique fish
HONOLULU — Scientists say deep coral reefs in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument may contain the highest percentage of fish species found nowhere else.
A study published in the Bulletin of Marine Science says nearly 50 percent of the fish scientists observed over a two-year period in monument waters 100 to 300 feet deep are unique to Hawaii.
The monument said in a news release Thursday that’s a higher percentage than any other marine ecosystem.
On deeper reefs, the scientists found more than 90 percent of fish were unique to the region. Only specially trained divers using advanced technical diving methods may reach these deeper reefs.
Co-author Randy Kosaki said the richness of unique species in the monument validates the need to protect the area with the highest conservation measures available.
Pearl Harbor relic headed to museum
HONOLULU — A relic from a Japanese fighter jet used in the attack on Pearl Harbor is headed to a museum after selling for more than $12,000 in an eBay auction.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Friday that a Honolulu attorney bought the item and donated it to the Pacific National Monument.
The relic is a serial number from a Zero fighter that crashed during the attack. The number was stenciled on the plane’s fuselage.
Chief Historian Daniel Martinez of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument said he was stunned by the donation pledge. He has said similar items are rarely donated if they are bought privately.
Damon Senaha said he bought the item in tribute to his Japanese-American family, including his grandfather who witnessed the 1941 attack.
Man found in Jeep stuck at Kaena Point dies
HONOLULU — Police say the man found unconscious inside a vehicle stranded in mud at Kaena Point has died.
The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Friday that the woman who was with him in the Jeep Wrangler is on life-support. A fisherman found the couple Saturday in the closed vehicle, with its engine running.
KHON-TV reported earlier this week that the state Department of Land and Natural Resources is investigating because the Jeep was found in an off-road area where vehicles aren’t allowed. The area is a popular spot for mud bogging.
Authorities suspect that this is a case of carbon monoxide poisoning.
By local and wire sources