Sakai confirmed as head of state prisons
The state Senate voted unanimously Thursday to confirm Ted Sakai as director of the state Department of Public Safety.
He was appointed in June and has served as interim director of the department, which oversees state prisons.
Sakai, a veteran corrections administrator who once served as warden of the Waiawa Correctional Facility, was public safety director during Gov. Ben Cayetano’s second term.
Program to identify good and bad bugs
The Honolulu Board of Water Supply’s Halawa Xeriscape Garden will hold a workshop Saturday on bugs that are beneficial to garden plants and ones that aren’t. Experts will show how to identify and manage garden pests using environmentally sound techniques.
The workshop will be from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the garden, 99-1268 Iwaena St. There is a $5 fee, but it’s free for members of Friends of Halawa Xeriscape Garden. Reservations are required; call 748-5363 or email workshops@hbws.org.
Waimanalo library to celebrate 35th year
Waimanalo Public & School Library will celebrate its 35th anniversary from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 27. The library is at 41-1320 Kalanianaole Highway on the campus of Waimanalo Elementary and Middle School.
Performers will include Halau Hula ‘o Kawaiho‘omalu and Fun Fun the Clown. Children’s activities will be offered, and the library and Waimanalo community will present photo displays. There is no charge. Refreshments will be served.
The 8,601-square-foot library opened Feb. 25, 1978. A mural by Guy Buffet, "Waimanalo Love Song," has graced the front and side walls of the library since 1980.
Dance studio damaged by smoke, fire
Fire caused an estimated $20,000 in damage to the Aloha Dance Studio in Lihue Sunday morning, the Kauai Fire Department said.
A person in the area saw smoke coming from the building and called 911, allowing firefighters to reach the fire in its early stages, the department said.
The fire was reported at 9:55 a.m. at the studio on Kalopa Street in a light industrial area behind Home Depot. The fire was extinguished at 10:04 a.m. It was confined to a small waiting area, but the studio suffered extensive smoke damage.
No one was in the studio, and no injuries were reported.
Two engine companies and three other fire companies and police officers responded to the alarm. The cause of the fire was not immediately determined.
Haleakala park officials seek public comment
Haleakala National Park officials will hold a community meeting Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at Kalena Triangle in Kipahulu, Maui.
Park officials will provide updates on the Commercial Services Plan and the KipahuluComprehensive Site Plan. The public is invited to ask questions on those and other topics.
The first plan will deal with management of commercial services in nonwilderness areas of the park through the next 10 to 15 years. The Kipahulu plan will focus on improving the visitor experience, natural and cultural resource protection, and park operations in Kipahulu, the coastal area of the park just beyond Hana.
Visit www.parkplanning.nps.gov/hale.
