Michigan to honor soldier who died in isles

Michigan’s governor is honoring a soldier who died when the military truck he was riding in crashed last month during training in Hawaii.

Gov. Rick Snyder ordered U.S. and Michigan flags to be lowered to half-staff today on all state buildings and within the state Capitol complex in honor of 36-year-old U.S. Army Sgt. Terrence Hinton, who died May 14.

Hinton was from Grand Rapids, Mich., and was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, on Oahu. He had deployed to Afghanistan in 2010 and Kuwait in 2014 for a total of 21 months.

A service in Hinton’s honor is scheduled for today in Grand Rapids.

Kauai

Girl injured in Anahola accident

An 8-year-old girl was in critical condition Wednesday after the car she was riding in rear-ended a truck in Anahola, Kauai police said.

Police are investigating whether the girl was properly restrained in the front seat of the Mazda sedan, a Kauai County spokeswoman said.

The girl was injured when the car’s driver, a 23-year-old Anahola woman, rear-ended a Toyota truck stopped in the northbound lane on Kuhio Highway at about 10 a.m., police said.

The girl was taken to Wilcox Medical Center with critical injuries and later flown to The Queen’s Medical Center for further treatment, police said.

Hawaii island

Driver charged in drunken crash

A 43-year-old Pahoa man has been charged with negligent homicide after his 48-year-old passenger was killed in a drunken-driving crash at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Sunday.

Kenneth J. Ewing appeared in federal court in Honolulu on Wednesday after he was charged Tuesday with first-degree negligent homicide in the death of John A. Becker of Texas.

The fatal crash occurred on Highway 11 at the 33-mile marker. Ewing was traveling Kau-bound in a white Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with Becker and another male passenger when he allegedly lost control at a curve.

Ewing’s blood-alcohol level was .312, more than three times the legal limit of .08, according to an affidavit.