Coast Guard helps UH vessel HONOLULU (AP) — A boat carrying a group of scientists on a University of Hawaii Marine Center research trip headed back to shore Friday after it began taking on water 60 miles north of Oahu.
Coast Guard helps UH vessel
HONOLULU (AP) — A boat carrying a group of scientists on a University of Hawaii Marine Center research trip headed back to shore Friday after it began taking on water 60 miles north of Oahu.
The U.S. Coast Guard delivered pumps to the 186-foot Kilo Moana after the crew reported taking on 400 gallons per hour because of a baseball-sized hole in the boat’s hull.
Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Kurt Fredrickson said the boat’s pumps weren’t working and crew members began preparing life rafts in case they needed to abandon ship.
But they eventually got the flooding under control using the Coast Guard pumps, said Ross Barnes, UH Marine Center port operations manager.
Forty scientists and crew members left Wednesday for the five-day research trip. The ordeal cut the trip short, and the vessel was headed back to Oahu.
Soldier dies in motorcycle crash
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Oahu (AP) — A Hawaii-based soldier and Iraq war veteran was killed after being thrown from his motorcycle this week.
The Army said Friday the incident that killed Sgt. Aaron L. Bennett is being investigated.
Bennett, of Parma Heights, Ohio, was on Fort Weaver Road in Ewa Beach when he was thrown from his motorcycle on Thursday.
Bennett joined the Army in 2007 and served as an infantryman assigned to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
He returned from a year-long deployment to Iraq in June.
A memorial for Bennett will be held later this month at the Schofield Barracks post Chapel. Bennett is survived by his wife, Michelle, his parents, David and Sally Bennett of Parma Heights, Ohio, and his sister Rachel Bennett.
10 years for Ponzi scheme
HONOLULU (AP) — A 60-year-old Kauai man has been sentenced to ten years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $12 million in restitution for defrauding investors in what prosecutors say was a Ponzi scheme.
Federal prosecutors say David Ruskjer was sentenced Thursday after being convicted in September of 22 counts of money laundering, 12 counts of mail fraud and other charges
During his trial, prosecutors said Ruskjer collected millions in dollars from about 140 clients by guaranteeing minimum returns by investing options he said he managed.
Prosecutors say what Ruskjer really did was pay earlier clients with money he collected from later clients. Meanwhile, he bought himself a condo, car and motorcycle while losing money on investments.
