Thousands of canoe paddlers from around the state will gather at the Hilo Bayfront on Saturday for the 2009 Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association State Championships. Moku O Hawaii
executive secretary Aunty Maile Mauhili tells the “Hawaii Tribune-Herald” she expects around 8,000 peo;e on the beach for the competition. The event will feature 39 races, 14 lanes, and 3,000 to 4,000 paddlers representing 60 clubs.
A Puna man wanted in Florida for failing to register as a sex offender will be sent back to the Sunshine State. According to the “Hawaii Tribune-Herald”, Hilo Circuit Court Judge Greg Nakamura said he would not fight extradition for William Mark Kerby. Nakamura set bail at $10,000 and scheduled a hearing for August 24th in case Florida officials don’t take custody by then.
A state-funded effort to dredge the entrance of Hilo’s Wailoa Small Boat Harbor has failed to stop the growth of sediment in the area. Department of Land and Natural Resources conservation officer Any Ford tells the “Hawaii Tribune-Herald” that the $1.3 million dollar project msut be redone, despite the removal of 32,000 cubic yards of storm debris and sediment back in 2007. Ford believes the channel depth is around six feet, a problem instensified by a jetty which arrarently traps sand that eventually clogs the channel.
UH-Hilo has received more than $1.7 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Education to upgrade educational opportunities for Native Hawaiian students. The funding is part of a $6.4 million dollar grant awarded to various Hawaii colleges and universities.
Kailua-Kona has dethroned Ewa Beach on Oahu as Hawaii’s forclosure capital, with the most filings of any ZIP code during the first half of 2009. according to “Pacific Business News”, the total number of foreclousres statewide may have dropped a bit from May to June, but the numbers for the first half of this year reveal four times as many filings as in 2008.