Former Mayor Carlisle joins Honolulu law firm

Former Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle has joined the Honolulu law firm of O’Connor Playdon & Guben, where he will be a partner specializing in local and international affairs.

In his new job, he is expected to serve as a business adviser and help foster relationships between Hawaii and international companies both locally and abroad, according to a release.

During his two years as mayor, Honolulu hosted a Sister Cities summit, the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference attended by President Barack Obama and other leaders.

Carlisle, 60, left office at the beginning of the year. Before becoming mayor, he was the elected city prosecutor for 14 years.

The announcement was made during the dedication today of a statue at Pawaa In-ha Park that recognizes the sister-city relationship between Honolulu and Incheon, South Korea. It was attended by Incheon Mayor Young-gil Song and Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell.

Waves at Hanauma Bay lead city to close beach

City officials closed Hanauma Bay Saturday morning because of high surf that was creating strong rip currents inside the reef.

Waves of 4 to 6 feet were making conditions dangerous for swimmers and snorkelers, and reduced underwater visibility to zero, officials said.

The park remained closed all day and officials will decide today whether it is safe to reopen.

Lifeguards, meanwhile, conducted 12 rescues and took 438 preventive actions at East Oahu beaches Saturday, a spokesman for the city Department of Emergency Services said.

About 3:45 p.m., lifeguards assisted a 35-year-old man who suffered an apparent shoulder injury while bodysurfing at Sandy Beach, spokeswoman Shayne Enright said by email. Paramedics transported him to a hospital in serious condition.

The National Weather Service said strong tradewinds will cause surf to build along east shores of Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Maui and Hawaii island through today. A high-surf advisory remains in effect until 6 p.m.

Waves were forecast to reach 8 to 12 feet on the east shores of Maui and Hawaii island, and up to 10 feet on the other islands.

Blaze destroys shed behind restaurant featured in movie

A fire at a shed behind Tahiti Nui, a Hanalei restaurant featured in the movie "The Descendants," was extinguished early Friday.

Kauai County said police dispatch received a call at around 1:30 a.m. of a fire behind the restaurant along Kuhio Highway. Firefighters found a small storage shed ablaze. Residents had contained the fire to the building using garden hoses.

Owned by Tahiti Nui, the shed was a total loss with damage to the structure and its contents estimated at $7,000. The cause remains under investigation.

4 parks to close on scheduled days for maintenance

Maintenance work will close four of Hawaii County’s most popular parks on certain days through the end of the year.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports the work will include tree trimming, raking the beach, pressure-washing sidewalks and restrooms, cleaning barbecue pits, painting parking lots and checking for potholes.

At Kahaluu Beach in North Kona, crews are slated to perform work from 6 to 11 a.m. on the first Tuesday of the month, beginning Feb. 5, except in September, when work will be conducted on the second Tuesday because of the Labor Day holiday.

Spencer Park in South Kohala will be closed Wednesday and Thursday this week, Feb. 13-14, March 6-7, April 9-10, May 14-16, Sept. 10-12, Oct. 9-10, Nov. 13-14 and Dec. 11-12.

At Puna’s Ahalanui Park, crews will be working from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month, beginning Feb. 13.

Pahoa’s Isaac Hale Beach Park will see closures on Tuesdays that remain in effect until 1 p.m. Wednesday. Work there is slated for Jan. 22, Feb. 26, March 26, April 23, May 28, June 25, July 23, Aug. 27, Sept. 24, Oct. 22, Nov. 26, and Dec. 17.