Racers’ eviction rescinded

The state Department of Hawaiian Home Lands has taken back an eviction notice sent to the operators of Kalaeloa Raceway Park, citing a miscommunication.

Kamanao Mills, department spokesman, confirmed the notice was retracted but could not say why it had been sent in the first place.

"It was a miscommunication between the department and SORT," he said, referring to Save Oahu Race Track, the group that developed the track off Coral Sea Road.

He said attorneys for both sides are expected to meet soon to discuss the situation. He could not say whether eviction is still on the table.

The racetrack developers, George and Jeanette Grace, were shocked after receiving the eviction notice Monday and have heard from thousands of people unhappy about the eviction, said racetrack spokesman Michael Kitchens.

Public support may have persuaded the department to change its mind and retract the notice on Wednesday, he said.

The racetrack has a month-to-month lease but received a yearlong renewal from Hawaiian Homes that is good until June, Kitchens said.

Fumes sicken trash crew

Fumes from muriatic acid, a highly corrosive material used for cleaning, sent three city refuse workers to the hospital yesterday after they picked up a leaking container left with curbside trash in Nuuanu.

Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department, said paramedics took the men to the hospital in stable condition. One worker is in his 30s, one in his 40s and one in his 50s. All three complained of nausea, dry mouth and difficulty breathing.

Capt. Gary Lum, Honolulu Fire Department spokesman, said an investigation by the department’s hazardous materials team traced the cause to a container of muriatic acid that was picked up earlier in the morning at a Ragsdale Place address. The refuse crew was overcome by fumes, stopped their truck at Pali Highway and South School Street and called for help at 8:26 a.m.

Lum said the city will hire a contractor to handle and dispose of the corrosive acid.

Muriatic acid is a liquid solution of hydrogen chloride gas. When it comes into contact with water, it forms hydrochloric acid. Both the muriatic acid and hydrochloric acid are corrosive.