Fellowship to fund UH student’s plant study
A University of Hawaii botany student has won a fellowship for her research into a critically endangered plant endemic to Kauai.
The olulu or "cabbage on a stick" plant is the focus of research by UH-Manoa master’s degree candidate Seana Walsh.
Only one plant is thought to exist in the wild, clinging to a cliff above the Na Pali Coast.
"Having been born and raised in the Hawaiian islands, I have witnessed the rapid extinction of numerous plant and animal species found nowhere else on this planet," Walsh said in a news release Friday. "I have a great desire to focus on conserving and protecting Hawaii’s flora and fauna. This feels only natural to me, and I am committed to a career that will advance these goals."
Walsh has been awarded the Eloise Gerry Fellowship from the Sigma Epsilon/Graduate Women in Science National Fellowships Program to conduct a pollination study of the plant, Brighamia insignis, part of the collection at the National Tropical Botanical Garden’s Limahuli Garden on Kauai. Its fragrant yellow and white flowers are believed to be adapted for moth pollination.
The plant, once common on Kauai and Niihau, has been on the federal endangered species list since 1994.
Walsh, who was born on Kauai and raised on Maui, attended Maui Community College before receiving her undergraduate degree in botany at UH-Manoa in 2011.
Wakai named honorary consul by Palau
State Sen. Glenn Wakai is serving as the Republic of Palau’s honorary consul to Hawaii.
The Senate announced Thursday that Palau President Tommy Remegesau Jr. recently appointed Wakai to the post.
Wakai will be working with Palau to bolster the nation’s relationship with the United States.
Wakai says he doesn’t plan to simply attend events and smile for cameras. He says he recognizes those from Palau sometimes have difficulty adjusting to life in Hawaii and he wants to empower the Palauan community here.
Wakai is serving his second term as a state senator. He spent eight years in the state House of Representatives. Before his political career, he spent more than a decade as a television newscaster in Guam, Saipan and Hawaii.
Man sentenced to 5-year term in park assault
A Kekaha man will serve five years in prison for trying to burn a picnicker’s face on a grill.
Kauai Chief Judge Randal Valenciano on Thursday set aside a plea agreement for Clifford K. Apo, 60.
Valenciano said Apo’s past is "peppered with jail time, including a 10-year prison term," the Garden Island reported.
On Dec. 28, Apo became upset with picnickers at Lucy Wright Park in Waimea.
"You tried to burn someone’s face on a grill, and for no apparent reason other than they were barbecuing in the area," Valenciano said. "You allege that the group was using drugs but, really, they were just barbecuing."
Apo was arrested Jan. 11 and charged with second-degree assault. He pleaded no contest on April 15 to attempted second-degree assault, a Class C felony.
The state recommended a year in jail with probation. Apo served 10 years for kidnapping in 1992.
Alleged burglar caught on video is charged
Hawaii County police have charged a 30-year-old Hilo man with burglary after he was allegedly caught on surveillance video breaking into the victim’s house and removing items.
According to police, the video shows a suspect, believed to be Justin Fergerstrom, of breaking into the South Wilder Road house several times during a four-hour period and removing fishing gear, car parts, power tools and other items valued at more than $1,700.
Police arrested Fergerstrom on Thursday. He was charged Friday with three counts of first-degree burglary and one count of unauthorized entry into a vehicle.
