Coqui frogs caught in Waikiki, Kalihi Valley
Two more coqui frogs were discovered in the past two weeks on Oahu in Waikiki and Kalihi Valley.
A grounds crew at a Waikiki hotel captured a coqui frog April 12 in newly planted landscaping and called the Department of Agriculture.
Agricultural inspectors will follow up with the nursery that did the landscaping.
Inspectors said the hotel did not want negative publicity, so the crew tried to catch the frog.
Agriculture Department staff captured a second frog April 17 at a Kalihi Valley home after a neighbor reported it.
Call the state’s pest hotline at 643-PEST (7378) to report a suspected invasive species.
Kalani leads isle public schools in ranking
U.S. News and World Report ranked Kalani High School as the best public school in Hawaii in 2014.
Kalani was cited for its college readiness, math and reading proficiency and student-teacher ratio.
The school rated a silver medal when compared with other schools nationwide.
McKinley High School, Maui’s King Kekaulike High School, and Waialua High and Intermediate School also reached silver medal status.
Other Hawaii public schools received national bronze medals. They include Education Laboratory Public Charter School, James Campbell High School, Keaau High School and Kealakehe High School.
U.S. News and World Report used a three-step process to determine national rankings. It first looked at whether students were performing better than the statistical average student in the state and factored in the percentage of economically disadvantaged students enrolled at the schools. The magazine then looked at whether the school’s least advantaged students performed better than statistical expectations, and then judged the schools that made it through the first two steps on their college readiness performance.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Trail is state’s, Maui jury rules
WAILUKU >> A jury has found that a section of historic trail cutting across Maui’s largest family-owned cattle ranch belongs to the state. The decision could clear the way for more public access to the 3.3-mile section of trail that crosses Haleakala Ranch.
The Maui News reported that after six weeks of hearings, jurors found Wednesday that the government built the trail before the Great Mahele land division of 1848. That means the trail is considered a public highway under the Highways Act of 1892.
The verdict will lead to a second trial phase to determine how much trail access the state gives the public.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources earlier this year proposed a land exchange with the ranch. The state offered title to the trail section in exchange for a new access route to the Kahikinui Forest Reserve and the Na Kula Natural Area Reserve. It wasn’t immediately clear what effect Wednesday’s verdict would have on those discussions.
Man is charged in $45,000 scam
FBI officials say a Molokai man is accused of scamming a woman out of $45,000 in an investment scheme, promising guaranteed returns.
A lawyer for 47-year-old David Buchanan declined comment Thursday.
A charging document in federal court says Buchanan represented himself as a financial manager, but instead of investing funds, he spent them on personal travel, an online video game and an online girlfriend in the Philippines.
Prosecutors accused Buchanan of delaying the victim from reporting the abuse by emailing false claims that her investment money was on its way.
Associated Press
