Toguchi re-elected BOE chairman

The state Board of Education has re-elected Garrett Toguchi to another one-year term as chairman.

Toguchi, an Oahu at-large member, was first elected to the board in 1996.

During its meeting at Lanai High and Elementary School yesterday, the board also elected Oahu at-large member Randall Yee as first vice chairman. Big Island member Herbert Watanabe will serve as second vice chairman.

The 14-member board sets policy for the state’s public schools and libraries.

Beach access on Big Island spurs dispute

Two landowners are butting heads with surfers and other beach users over access to Papaikou Mill Beach on the Big Island.

Beachgoers contend the owners of the old Papaikou sugar mill, Jim Waugh and Charlene Prickett, should deed or sell the trail to the county, according to the Hawaii Tribune-Herald.

Surveyor and University of Hawaii oceanography lecturer Niels Christensen says maps going back to the late 1800s show the trail’s existence. He contends the owners eventually will close off access to make the beach private.

But Waugh and Prickett, who bought the land in 1995, say the sugar company kept the property closed for decades to preserve its rights. They say they allow beach access during the day but are not legally obligated to do so. 

Female hiker rescued on swamp trail

Kauai firefighters rescued a hiker from the Alakai Swamp trail in Kokee on Wednesday night.

At about 8 p.m. a woman was hiking along the Pihea Trail when she injured her ankle on the boardwalk, a county news release said. Hunters in the area assisted her until fire rescue personnel arrived.

Rescue workers carried her out with the help of hunters. She was put into a private vehicle and taken to Kauai Veterans Memorial Hospital.

On Tuesday a 42-year-old female visitor from Prairie Grove, Ark., sustained minor injuries and was airlifted from Kalalau Beach.

Seeking entries for 10 who made a difference

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser invites you to nominate people who have made a difference in Hawaii during the past year. They can be people who fought controversial battles in public or worked behind the scenes in any field — community service, education, politics, law, labor, medicine, science, business, sports, entertainment, the arts. All that matters is that they had a devotion to their cause and made a profound impact on Hawaii.

To nominate someone, explain why you think the person should be honored. Deadline for nominations is Dec. 10.

Honorees will be selected by Star-Advertiser editors. We will publish the results starting Dec. 22. Please include the following information: your name, your nomination and your work and home telephone numbers.

E-mail your nominations to difference@staradvertiser.com, or mail them to 10 Who Made a Difference, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96813.