Tiki carver salvages lumber possibly tied to 2011 tsunami
The heavy piece of lumber found awash in the Kailua Beach shorebreak Tuesday was removed by someone who wants to carve the "beautiful" wood into a tiki, a University of Hawaii official says.
So the wood, which could be debris from the March 2011 tsunami in Japan, no longer poses a hazard to mariners.
Gisela Speidel, an outreach specialist with the International Pacific Research Center, said she received a call Thursday from the person who retrieved the lumber. The person mentioned seeing similar logs before, including before the tsunami, and believed that it had tumbled off a ship, Speidel said.
Still, UH may attempt to get a sample of the mussels on the piece to see whether they are invasive, and also a wood sample to send to a mainland DNA lab.
Emergency repairs to shut skate park
Kalama Skate Park will be closed for emergency repair work until Nov. 22.
Repairs will be made to the vertical ramps, safety railings and support structure, the Maui Department of Parks and Recreation said in a news release. Some portions of the skate park will be painted to cover graffiti.
Water work will put pool out of service
Kokua Pool will be closed for two days to chemically treat, scrub and re-balance the water.
The Maui Department of Parks and Recreation Aquatics Division said the facility will be shut down Nov. 19 and 20. It will reopen for regular hours, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Nov. 21.
Seminar offers tips to protect Kauai kupuna
Kupuna Alert Partners, made up of several state agencies, will give a presentation next week on Kauai called "Key Issues Targeting Hawaii’s Seniors."
The event is scheduled for 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall.
Among topics to be discussed are medical identity theft and Medicare fraud prevention, investor protection and fraud prevention, and prevention of prescription drug misuse.
For information, contact Life’s Choices Kauai Coordinator Theresa Koki at 241-4925 or email tkoki@kauai.gov.
Judiciary offers legal advice to veterans
More than 100 veterans are expected to participate in the state Judiciary’s first "Ask a Lawyer" session for veterans Saturday at the Oahu Veterans Center.
The event will begin at 9 a.m. at 1298 Kukila St.
Besides the Judiciary, the event is sponsored by Volunteer Legal Services of Hawaii and is being coordinated by Circuit Judge Ed Kubo.
For information, contact Kubo at 539-4133 or Oahu Veterans Center at 422-4000.
