Search for 2 men from helicopter ends

The Coast Guard on Thursday night suspended the search for two men whose helicopter went down Monday evening off the northwest coast of Molokai.

“Making the decision to suspend a search and rescue case is incredibly difficult and is done only when we have exhausted all possible search efforts,” Lt. Christopher Sena, command duty officer at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Command Center in Honolulu, said in a news release. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the young men.”

Advanced student pilot Jeremy Dossetter, 27, and instructor Oliver Kirsch, 25, of Mauna Loa Helicopters, remain missing.

Responders from the Navy, Maui County Fire Department, Honolulu Fire Department and Mauna Loa Helicopters conducted 53 separate searches over 19,300 square miles.

The helicopter was reported to be on a day trip to Molokai and was heading back to Honolulu when the incident occurred, authorities said.

Residents, firms to oversee Waikiki traffic

Mayor Kirk Caldwell has signed two bills that create a Waikiki Transportation Management Special Improvement District.

Bills 63 and 64, which were introduced by City Councilman Trevor Ozawa and were passed during the Oct. 11 Council meeting, allow Waikiki residents and businesses to manage transportation, such as regulating vendor delivery schedules and possibly establishing a permit system for residential parking.

“The new Waikiki Transportation Management Special Improvement District will allow the people who live and work in Waikiki to do what’s best for them and our visitors in regards to transportation, which is not only good for Oahu, but for the entire state,” Caldwell said in a statement Wednesday.

The city will retain its ability to regulate the traffic code in Waikiki, and several city representatives will serve on the nonprofit’s board of directors.

“The new transportation management district will be an important partner with the city and local residents as we look to improve access to and from Waikiki,” said Rick Egged, president of the Waikiki Improvement Association, which spearheaded the effort along with Ozawa.

Journey’s frontman to perform at Blaisdell

Arnel Pineda, who went from club singer in the Philippines to international rock star as lead singer of Journey, will perform a solo benefit concert at Blaisdell Arena in December.

Tickets for the Dec. 16 concert are priced at $69 to $99 and go on sale at 9 a.m. today at the Blaisdell box office, online at ticketmaster.com and by phone at 800-745-3000.

A 2007 YouTube video of Pineda caught the attention of Journey singer and guitarist Neal Schon, who invited him to audition. The group had several lead singers after original frontman Steve Perry left in 1996. Pineda has been the band’s lead singer ever since, performing on several albums that reached the Billboard charts.

The concert will be a benefit for Katipunan Inc., an organization that promotes civic education and citizenship and helps immigrants assimilate into American life. Concert promoters cited Hawaii’s large Filipino population as one of the attractions for Pineda to perform here.

Kauai

Man sentenced for turtle attack

A 36-year-old Lihue man has been sentenced to a year in jail for attacking an endangered sea turtle on Kauai.

Judge Michael Soong sentenced Lance Kaaumoana in environmental court Tuesday for the stabbing attack on an endangered or threatened species, a misdemeanor. Soong imposed the maximum sentence for the offense.

Kauai police and the state Department of Land and Natural Resources responded to the attack at the Nawiliwili jetty area in April. Witnesses saw Kaaumoana stabbed the turtle multiple times with a knife.

The turtle recovered from its injuries and was released back to sea several days later.

“In Hawaii we take protection of our marine environment very seriously. This was a truly senseless attack on a peaceful animal, and we are satisfied that the judge imposed the maximum sentence,” Kauai prosecutor Justin Kollar said.

Deaths of 5 whales inconclusive

Necropsies on the five pilot whales that stranded themselves last week on Kauai’s Kalapaki Beach were inconclusive as to the cause of death, officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.

“At this time, we have not yet determined a reason for the stranding. Mass strandings for this particular species are fairly common globally. Since pilot whales are social, when one individual strands, others tend to follow,” a NOAA statement said.

Officials said the Navy confirmed that no active midrange sonar or in-water explosives were being used in the area at the time of the stranding.

They said University of Hawaii and state Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel are searching for evidence of the presence of a rodenticide, which recently had been applied on nearby Lehua island, in the whales’ liver tissue. “The results of those tests will take some time to return,” the NOAA news release said.

NOAA officials said they worked with cultural practitioners on Kauai to handle the whale remains after the necropsies.