Leaking package draws fire crew

Firefighters responded to a report of a package leaking an unknown substance yesterday at the Honolulu Airport.

Firefighters were dispatched to the airport near Gate 14 about 2:15 p.m. and spotted the package with an unknown substance coming from it, said Honolulu Fire Inspector David Jenkins.

Firefighters established a perimeter and, as a precaution, handled the situation as a serious incident, he said. But Department of Transportation spokesman Dan Meisenzahl said the package did not contain hazardous materials and did not affect airport operations.

Child dies in wake of ocean mishap

A 3-year-old Mililani girl died this week after she was pulled out of the ocean Sunday in Waialua.

Rylie Tupai-Brown died Tuesday, the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office said yesterday.

The results of an autopsy were not immediately available.

Tupai-Brown was pulled from the water fronting Crozier Drive about 2:20 p.m., and paramedics took her to a North Shore hospital in critical condition.

Woman, 49, reappears

Big Island police said yesterday a 49-year-old North Hilo woman who had been missing since April 18 had crawled out of a gulch the evening of April 21 near her home.

Tina Johansen of Kapehu Mauka was unharmed, somewhat dehydrated, cold and hungry, police said. She appeared to have been disoriented, police said.

Fire rescue personnel and a canine unit had searched for Johansen but were unable to find her. Three days after her disappearance, Johansen was able to find her way out of the thick brush on her own, police said.

Impostor calls eateries

State health officials have warned Big Island restaurants to beware of scam artists posing as health inspectors.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported Tuesday that a number of restaurants in Hilo and Kailua-Kona received phone calls from a man claiming to be an inspector

investigating a complaint. The caller set up appointments with restaurant employees and asked for sensitive information.

Officials say restaurant workers should ask for identification and should call the Health Department if there are any doubts.

The state Health Department issued a similar warning in November when several Oahu restaurants were targeted.  

Restroom fix under way

Restrooms at Namakanipaio Campground in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park are closed for renovation and will reopen in July, the state said.

Three portable restrooms are in place in the meantime.

The park is upgrading the facilities for people with disabilities and installing other improvements.