Newswatch
Big southerly waves forecast to last
The National Weather Service issued a high-surf advisory for south-facing shores of all Hawaiian Islands from 6 a.m. Sunday through 6 p.m. today.
Forecasters said surf of 6 to 8 feet is expected on south-facing beaches of all islands and could create hazardous conditions for novice swimmers and boaters.
The weather service says surf might be a little smaller today, but wave faces might still be at advisory levels of about 8 feet.
A smaller reinforcement swell is expected on Tuesday, and elevated surf is predicted for much of the week on south shores.
A small northwest swell also arrived Sunday and will become lower today.
Imi Ho‘ola grads will be med students
Six aspiring physicians from the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine graduate program are officially due to become medical students this summer.
The six are graduates of the Imi Ho‘ola program within the school’s Department of Native Hawaiian Health. The program recruits promising college graduates from underserved communities and offers them a year of intensive preparation for medical school.
This year’s program includes students from Kaunakakai, Molokai; Kahului; Honolulu, Mililani and Ewa Beach on Oahu; and Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands.
The school said Friday the students will join 60 other incoming medical school students at a ceremony on July 22. The 66 total students make up the medical school’s largest single class yet.
Air Force, police resolve officers’ beefs
The Air Force says it has resolved complaints from civilian police officers over unsafe working conditions on Haleakala, the Maui News reported.The officers complained they weren’t allowed to carry weapons and had no clear information about their authority at the site, including whether they had the power to arrest or detain suspects. They also said their radios are on a closed system, giving them no way to communicate with other Maui first responders in an emergency.
“Several of the issues were validated, and resulted in updates to local Air Force police training, equipment and procedures," Lt. Col. Michael Harvey, commander of the Air Force Maui Optical and Supercomputing Site, said in a written statement.
Telescope project raises $375 million
The umbrella company for the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea has so far raised $375 million toward the observatory’s construction but is still $725 million short of the $1.1 billion needed, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.
The TMT Observatory Corp. has spent $100 million so far on the telescope, in planning for eight years.
According to Thirty Meter Telescope representative Sandra Dawson, the project has received donations totaling $250 million from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. Gordon Moore is a co-founder of Intel Corp.
The California Institute of Technology and the University of California have contributed $100 million, and Canadian partner universities have kicked in $25 million. Dawson said funds from TMT’s other partners — including Japan, China and India — will be enough to fund it fully.
Run and fun for Ka‘u
The volunteer group O Ka‘u Kakou is hosting its first Ka‘u Family Fun Fest Saturday beginning at 7 a.m. at Naalehu Park. Proceeds will be used for a new community health center. There will be live music, food vendors, sports and keiki activities. To register for half-marathon, 10K and 5K races, go to
.
