High-surf advisory extended until Tuesday
The National Weather Service extended a high-surf advisory for the north and west shores of Kauai and the north shores of Oahu, Molokai and Maui through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
The advisory was prompted by a large northwest swell and gusty north winds that are expected to produce waves of 10 to 15 feet.
The weather service warns of strong breaking waves, shore break, and strong longshore and rip currents that could make swimming difficult and dangerous.
Kauai ocean safety officials closed Kalihiwai Bay and all guarded north shore beaches Sunday afternoon because of strong currents.
"Our firefighters responded three times to swimmers being swept out of Kalihiwai Bay, and thankfully, they were all saved," said Battalion Chief Albert Kaui in a news release. "But given today’s hazardous ocean conditions on the North Shore, everyone should exercise extreme caution near the water."
The closure includes beaches at Kalihiwai, Kee, Haena and Hanalei.
Ocean safety officials urge beachgoers to go to other guarded beaches on the island, such as Lydgate, Poipu or Salt Pond.
"Check with the lifeguards before going swimming and, when in doubt, don’t go out," Kaui said.
April dubbed Tsunami Awareness Month
Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie plans to issue a proclamation today naming April Tsunami Awareness Month.
Several agencies will participate in the ceremony at the state Capitol, including Hawaii State Civil Defense, the Honolulu Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, which runs the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
The declaration emphasizes the importance of tsunami awareness and preparedness.
The Pacific Disaster Center says tsunamis have killed more people in Hawaii than any other natural disaster.
Hawaii issued a tsunami warning as recently as October after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the coast of Canada.
Today is the anniversary of the deadly tsunami that hit Hilo in April 1946.
Parents of girl who drowned in tub are jailed
A state judge has ordered jail time for the parents of a 10-month-old girl who drowned when she was left in a tub of water with her toddler brother.
Collins K. Manago, 29, and Chevone Estoy-Keka, 23, of Kailua-Kona left the baby and their then-3-year-old son unattended in the tub on Nov. 26, 2011, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports.
Kona Circuit Judge Elizabeth Strance on Friday sentenced them to a year in jail for second-degree assault and six months for second-degree reckless endangering, with all but four months suspended.
Strance said the term could be reduced if they reunite with their son, require no intervention from the state Department of Human Services, stay sober and meet counseling conditions.
She also ordered four years of probation for the assault and one year of probation for the reckless endangering.
Manago and Estoy-Keka faced charges of manslaughter and second-degree reckless endangering in connection with the incident. However, they were allowed to plead guilty to lesser charges.
Kauai Council considers new sports complex
The Kauai County Council is weighing a proposal for a $45 million sports complex in Waimea.
The price does not include the acquisition of 78 acres for the Waimea Sports Complex, the Garden Island reports. The complex would cost $380,000 annually to maintain.
The project would accommodate baseball and softball, soccer, track and field, and football, and would have covered basketball courts, pavilions, bathrooms, a bicycle and pedestrian path, parking, and landscaping and water features.
