Acoba appointed Kauai district judge

Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald has appointed supervising attorney Edmund Acoba of the Kauai Public Defender’s Office to a six-year term as a district judge on Kauai.

Acoba would replace Calvin Murashige, who retired.

The full-time district judge appointment is the first for Recktenwald, who became chief justice in September.

The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.

UH sees 8 car break-ins in 1 week

Campus Security has stepped up patrols and surveillance at the University of Hawaii at Manoa after a rash of car break-ins over the past week.

A thief or thieves broke into eight vehicles on campus. Six happened over the weekend.

“It’s unusual to have so many in one week,” UH Campus Security Chief Wayne Ogino said.

He said five break-ins happened in the student housing parking lot and that one was reported in the law school parking lot over the weekend. Two other car break-ins happened in the faculty housing parking lot on Dole Street.

The thief or thieves broke into the cars by punching door locks or breaking the passenger window.

Campus Security issued a security alert on Monday.

Flash flood watch issued for state

The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for the entire state because of the possibility of scattered thundershowers through tomorrow night.

Forecasters say cold air from the northwest will meet warmer, moist air from the southeast over the state, bringing unstable weather conditions that could lead to flooding, especially over windward areas and slopes facing southeast.

Forecasters note that the thunderstorms could be localized and spotty with one area receiving heavy rain and other areas nearby mostly dry.

Forecasters say the weather conditions could also produce hail and snow on mountain summits.

Scattered showers could continue through the weekend.

A gale warning is also in effect for waters 40 nautical miles to 240 nautical miles offshore, including the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. A small-craft advisory is in effect for waters within 40 miles of shore.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Kauai refuse station back to normal

The Hanapepe Transfer Station has been repaired and is again accepting loose mixed refuse, Kauai County announced.

The facility had not accepted loose mixed refuse because of an equipment problem. During that time the transfer station continued to accept bagged trash, green waste, scrap metals, appliances, propane tanks and residential used motor and cooking oil for recycling.

Other refuse disposal sites available to residents are the Lihue transfer station and the Kekaha Landfill.

For more information, call the county Solid Waste Division at 241-4837.

Drivers urged to put down those phones

The Hawaii County Police Department organized a sign-waving event on Kamehameha Avenue in Hilo on Monday in observance of “National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.”

The event was to remind motorists about the dangers of the use of electronic devices while driving, especially talking and texting, a county news release said.

Officers from the police Traffic Services Section were joined by members of the Impaired Driving Task Force, the Office of Social Ministry, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and private citizens.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said 5,474 U.S. traffic deaths and an estimated additional 448,000 injuries in 2009 involved distracted driving, said Dieter Blattler, Hawaii police traffic safety coordinator.

“These numbers are on the rise,” Blattler said in a news release. “That’s why we all need to change our attitude about the use of electronic devices.”