Flags at half-staff for medal recipient

Hawaii state flags will be flown at half-staff at state and county facilities and the Hawaii National Guard from sunrise today to sunset Monday in honor of Hawaii Medal of Honor recipient Barney Hajiro.

Hajiro, who died Jan. 21, was a member of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, a Japanese-American U.S. Army unit that fought in Europe during World War II. An interment ceremony for Hajiro will be held Monday at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific at Punchbowl.

Oil sheen diverted from Ala Wai

Firefighters placed a boom around a storm drain on Ala Wai Boulevard leading into the canal to prevent what appeared to be "a light oil sheen" from entering the canal.

Firefighters were summoned to the drain at Ala Wai Boulevard and Kanekapolei Street, across the canal from the Ala Wai Golf Course, just before 9 a.m. yesterday.

Turbulence injures 4 on JAL flight

Four people on a Japan Airlines flight to Honolulu sustained injuries yesterday when their aircraft experienced heavy turbulence, said JAL spokesman Winston Lee.

An ambulance and airport fire crew were on hand when JAL Flight 74 touched down at Honolulu Airport, said state Department of Transportation spokesman Dan Meisenzahl.

He said the ambulance took a 24-year-old woman and a 58-year-old woman to Straub Hospital. The younger woman suffered a bruise to her face and complained of pain to her elbows and hips. The other woman complained of pain to her head, hips and legs.

A 38-year-old woman, who sustained a bruise to her head, and a 41-year-old man, who complained of pain to his head and neck, received treatment at the airport and refused transport, Meisenzahl said.

Lee said the 24-year-old woman is a JAL cabin crew member, while the others are Japanese visitors. He said the crew member was treated and released from the hospital yesterday and flew home today. The 58-year-old woman underwent surgery and is recuperating at Straub, Lee said.

Ring in the new year

Market City Shopping Center will celebrate the lunar new year today from 10 a.m. to noon. The event, in the lower parking lot across from Kaimuki High School, will include performances by Taiko Center of the Pacific and the Yeung Dak Physical Culture Dragon and Lion Dance Association.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

Hilo man, 65, goes missing

Big Island police are searching for a missing Hilo man.

Larry Knot, 65, was last seen at about 10 a.m. Feb. 4. He is 5 feet 8 inches tall, weighs 185 pounds and has gray hair and blue eyes. His right arm was amputated.

He might be driving a gold 1989 Chrysler LeBaron convertible with the license plate HZN 374.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call the police nonemergency line at 935-3311.

Anonymous tips can be made by calling CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona.

Trout season starts July 2

The rainbow trout fishing season at the Kokee Public Fishing Area on Kauai will open July 2.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said anglers with a valid state freshwater game fishing license may fish during daylight hours until Sept. 30.

More than 1,800 fishermen caught about 8,600 trout last year. The fish measured an average of 14 inches long and weighed 1 pound 8 ounces.

The daily bag limit is five rainbow trout per licensed angler. Anglers may fish with only one line.

Mud hazard halts drop-offs

Kauai County has temporarily stopped accepting green waste at all transfer stations except Lihue because safety concerns caused by muddy conditions in drop-off areas.

For more information, call the Solid Waste Division at 652-0282.