VA to aid in grant writing

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is hosting a grant-writing workshop in Honolulu this week for nonprofit organizations that help low-income and homeless veterans and their families. The free workshop will be held at Central Union Church tomorrow at 1 p.m. It will offer advice on obtaining grants from two federal programs for veterans.

Swell is likely to cause 30-foot surf

A north-northwest swell will begin building tomorrow and will likely peak Thursday morning at about 30 feet, the National Weather Service says.

With light tradewinds, conditions look ideal for elite surfers.

"For big-wave riders it’s a good recipe," senior forecaster Tom Birchard said. "For the rest of us it’s a good day to avoid entering the water."

Wave faces on Oahu’s North Shore will reach and possibly exceed 30 feet on Thursday, while surf on the west shores of all islands will be roughly in the 20-foot range, the Weather Service said yesterday.

Birchard said Thursday’s waves will likely peak between 3 and 9 a.m., but "it’s not something we can nail down to the hour."

Eddie Aikau Surf Invitational organizers told surfers there is a good chance the contest will run this week at Waimea Bay.

The swell will build slowly, and by the end of the day tomorrow, waves will be nearing 20 feet on north shores and 15 on west shores. Waves could reach 30 feet by late tomorrow night.

All islands will see the effects of the big swell being generated by a low-pressure system that will linger to the northwest of the islands, causing the surf to remain elevated for several days.

The Big Island’s leeward coast will see the big waves, but Maui’s shores will be somewhat blocked by Oahu and Kauai.

Oahu man charged in Arizona hit-run

A 2010 Waipahu High School graduate was charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident in Yuma, Ariz., following a fatal hit-and-run collision.

Nathan Tom Bartley, 18, was being held on $200,000 bond at the Yuma County jail, the Yuma Sun reported.

Bartley, a freshman at Arizona Western College in Yuma, is suspected of being the driver of a dark-colored vehicle that hit bicyclist Anthony Acosta, 15, Thursday night, the newspaper said.

Bartley made his initial appearance in Yuma Justice Court on Friday.

The car was found in a parking lot at the college, and police arrested Bartley. Police said they interviewed three people who were passengers in Bartley’s car at the time of the collision, the newspaper said.

Bartley is an offensive lineman on the Arizona Western football team. He is one of six AWC players from Hawaii. He played football and basketball at Waipahu High.

NEIGHBOR ISLAND

Scientists host interpretive volcano hike

Scientists will lead residents and visitors on a free interpretive walk Saturday on the Devastation Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The hourlong walk is open to the public. Pre-registration is not required. Participants should meet at 10 a.m. at the Puu Puai Overlook parking area on Crater Rim Drive in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Lava fountains up to 1,900 feet high erupted from Kilauea Iki Crater in 1959. Falling cinder and spatter blown to the southwest by tradewinds stripped leaves and branches from trees, buried nearby forests and built a cone now called Puu Puai, or "gushing hill."

Park entrance fees apply. Hikers should wear walking shoes and be prepared for cool, rainy weather.

The hike will be led by Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Kelly Wooten and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park botanist Mark Wasser.

For details about this walk and other Volcano Awareness Month events, visit hvo.wr.usgs.gov or call 967-8844.