Newswatch
Boats run aground near channel entrance
A 20-foot sailboat ran aground at the entrance of the channel at Keehi Small Boat Harbor at about 1 p.m. Saturday.
A private vessel brought the person aboard the boat to shore, said fire Capt. Terry Seelig, so the Honolulu Fire Department’s services were not needed.
No one was injured.
The boat owner also called a salvage company to have the boat removed.
It was the second boat to run aground in the area in as many days.
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About 7:45 p.m. Friday, a 21-foot Yamaha jet boat ran aground in shallow waters near the entrance to the harbor, Seelig said.
The four people aboard the boat — two adults and two children —were uninjured. Firefighters helped get the children and one adult to shore, and the second adult stayed with the boat, which was towed to the harbor.
Seelig said the boat ran aground because of operator error.
Marine putty used to block coral disease
University of Hawaii scientists say a disease outbreak at Hanalei Bay on Kauai’s north shore is killing coral at an alarming rate.
Hawaii News Now reports Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology coral expert Greta Aeby and her team are trying to stop the spread by covering coral with marine putty, to cut the disease off from healthy coral.
She says the underlying cause includes overfishing, pollution and sewage spills. Aeby says coral is the "foundation" for the ocean ecosystem, and that without it the ecosystem will fail.
Veterans Affairs grants $1.2M for cemetery
Hawaii will receive $1.2 million from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to expand and refurbish the Kauai Veterans Cemetery in Hanapepe.
The grant, part of more than $47 million distributed to 15 states, was announced last week by Hawaii’s congressional delegation.
The cemetery, on 5.4 acres of state-owned land, will get another 6 acres and 4,500 more grave sites in three phases.
Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, former Army chief of staff, is from Kauai.
$500K will help Hawaiians join medical field
HILO » The U.S. Department of Education is awarding the University of Hawaii at Hilo a $500,000 grant to help Native Hawaiians pursue careers in health and medicine.
The funds will support programs offering mentoring and enrichment to children from kindergarten through grade 12. The money will also pay for tutorials, field trips, internships and research for college students.
Na Pua Noeau Executive Director Dr. David Sing says the school is joining others like the UH School of Medicine to address health issues of Native Hawaiians.
Sing said in a statement Wednesday the aim is for Native Hawaiian health care professionals to shape the future of Native Hawaiian health.
