9 coqui frogs nabbed on Oahu this month
Agricultural inspectors reported capturing nine coqui frogs in May on Oahu.
Coqui frogs have taken over some parts of Hawaii island, prompting state agricultural officials to switch from eradication to preventing them from spreading in the islands. The frogs reproduce quickly in Hawaii because they don’t have natural predators here.
Capturing nine of the frogs is typical going into the summer, said Rob Curtiss, state Department of Agriculture acting plant pest control branch manager.
Two coqui frogs were caught at a Papali Street residence in Kalihi on May 9 and 12 respectively, and two were captured at a nursery in Waimanalo on May 12 and 21, the state said. Three were caught at a Kaneohe nursery May 27, one was caught at a Nawaakoa Street residence in Waipahu on May 14, and one at a local soda distributor May 7 in Honolulu, where pallets were shipped from Hawaii island to Oahu.
Guardsman dies in physical fitness test
A Hawaii Army National Guard soldier in his 30s died Friday morning while on duty performing an Army physical fitness test, officials said.
The soldier fainted while taking the test, was treated by an on-scene medic and then transported to Wahiawa General Hospital where he was pronounced dead around 7 a.m., the National Guard said.
He was an active Guard/Reserve soldier, meaning he worked full time for the National Guard, and was a member of the Recruiting and Retention Battalion.
The soldier’s cause of death is unknown at this time, the Guard said.
Although his family has been notified, the Hawaii Army National Guard said it would not release the name of the soldier or his exact age "until the appropriate time, to protect the family’s privacy."
The physical fitness test consisted of two minutes of pushups, two minutes of situps and a 2-mile run. The Hawaii Guard said it will assign a casualty assistance officer to support the soldier’s family.
Well will be shut for weeks
The Kauai County Department of Water announced Thursday that a full restoration of the Kalaheo well might take four to six weeks.
The Water Department was installing a temporary line Friday, requiring the closure of a portion of Kaumualii Highway’s westbound lane between Lauoho Road and Anuhea Place.
The mayor and water officials will hold a meeting noon Saturday at the Kalaheo Neighborhood Center gymnasium to discuss the latest developments of the outage and to hear the community’s concerns.
Water officials are reminding Kalaheo residents to conserve water to reduce the impact of the outages.
Some residents are disregarding the request to conserve water by washing cars and using water for irrigation, officials said.
Essential uses are OK, such as cooking, bathing and flushing toilets.
The Water Department is asking people to limit laundry washing and turn off automatic sprinklers.
For residents facing water outages, shower facilities are available at Hanapepe Stadium from 5 to 10 p.m. Saturday and 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday.
The Department of Water will update the public through the Connect CTY notification service. Sign up at www.kauai.gov or call Civil Defense at 241-1800.
Updates will also be posted at www.facebook.com/KauaiDOW and www.facebook.com/countyofkauai.
