Coast Guard crew rescues turtle

A Coast Guard ship heading from Honolulu to the Panama Canal to help with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup made a brief stop last week to rescue a sea turtle that had been caught in a fishing net.

A Coast Guard spokesperson said crew from the Coast Guard cutter Walnut sent a small boat to retrieve the turtle. The turtle was brought on board, freed from the net, then released back into the ocean.

Anti-drinking campaign honored

A campaign to reduce underage drinking in Hawaii has won a 2010 Communicator Award from the International Academy of the Visual Arts.

The More Than You Think campaign created a website, www.morethanyouthink.org, that educates children about alcohol.

The campaign targets youths between ages 13 and 19 by challenging the idea that everyone drinks.

Its message is that there are more teens who do not drink than many people believe.

The campaign is a project of the National Guard Hawaii Counterdrug Support Office, which worked with Honolulu-based Anthology Communications to design the website.

KCC expands UH degree program

Some Kapiolani Community College information technology and marketing students will have opportunities to earn bachelor’s degrees at the University of Hawaii at West Oahu.

The two schools signed an agreement last week allowing for the dual admission and dual enrollment of students in good standing who meet UH-West Oahu’s admissions criteria.

KCC already has a similar agreement with UH -West Oahu for students in its respiratory therapy and culinary arts programs.

The agreements ensure faculty and administration at both campuses will help students with counseling and other services.

The agreements are designed to help students on a path toward a bachelor’s degree.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Kauai cutter bidding aloha

LIHUE » A U.S. Coast Guard cutter that patrols the waters around Kauai is being replaced.

The change of port and change of command ceremonies for the Cutter Kittiwake are scheduled for July 2. The 87-foot boat has served in the waters off Kauai since 2001.

It began its last patrol mission on May 24.

The vessel is being replaced by Motor Life Boat 47313. The new craft is 47 feet long and can assist in search-and-rescue, helicopter-rescue and law enforcement efforts. It can also help with port and waterway security.

The crew of the Kittiwake has given mementos from the ship and its predecessor, the Cutter Point Evans, to the Kauai Veterans Museum. The items include a sextant and portable compass.

Lihue gets body scanner

LIHUE » Lihue Airport is the first airport in Hawaii to get advanced imaging technology to screen passengers.

The all-body scanner went into use just minutes after it was dedicated Thursday.

The Transportation Security Administration says the technology allows hands-free screening of passengers for both metallic and nonmetallic threats, including weapons and explosives.

TSA’s director for Kauai, Sharlene Mata, said the installation of the security technology became a congressional mandate and a priority of President Barrack Obama following a failed Dec. 25 attempt to blow up a jetliner bound for Detroit.

Mata says Lihue Airport was included in the first deployment of the scanners at 32 airports across the country.

Honolulu International Airport will receive its units during the next deployment.