State briefs for July 8

Facebook CEO’s rock wall at home sparks ire, but no action

HONOLULU (AP) — A Kauai neighborhood association isn’t planning to do anything about Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s rock wall that has some residents grumbling.

Kilauea Neighborhood Association President Yoshito L’Hote says the group has bigger issues to tackle.

Some neighbors have complained the wall looks daunting and that it blocks breezes and views. Lindsay Andrews, a spokeswoman for the billionaire’s Kauai property operations, says the rock wall is designed to reduce highway and road noise.

L’Hote says there wasn’t any time to devote meaningful discussion to the wall at the association’s meeting on Tuesday night. He says there were more pressing issues such as a drug infestation, a rash of thefts and a planned shopping center.

By comparison, he says, the wall seems like a “small matter.”

Russian spy ship appears off Hawaii ahead of military drills

HONOLULU (AP) — The U.S. Navy has confirmed that a Russian spy ship has been stationed in international waters off Hawaii, but says its presence is not affecting military exercises.

Pacific Fleet spokesman Lt. Clint Ramsden said Wednesday the Russian Navy Balzam-class auxiliary general intelligence ship had recently arrived.

“Obviously, we are aware that it is there, and we’ve taken all precautions necessary to protect our critical information,” Ramsden said. “Its presence has not affected the conduct of the exercise.”

The arrival of the ship comes as the Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, military drills are underway. The exercises for military forces from 26 nations will last through early August and include 45 ships, 200 aircraft and more than 25,000 people.

Troops will practice skills including clearing mines, hunting for submarines and delivering amphibious forces ashore.

Ramsden said Russia last participated in the exercises in 2012. The last time a Russian spy ship stopped by Hawaii was during the military exercises in 2004, according to Pacific Fleet.

He declined to say where the Russian ship was operating, other than that it was within the U.S. 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone.

The United States has launched similar operations off foreign shores.

“We continue to uphold the principle of freedom of navigation and overflight in accordance with international law,” Ramsden said.

Campers trash Makua Beach during Fourth of July weekend

HONOLULU (AP) — State officials say they plan to impose restrictions on camping along the Waianae coast at Kaena Point State Park in response to the mess left behind after a busy Fourth of July weekend.

State Parks Administrator Curt Cottrell announced Tuesday officials are considering cutting down the number of visitors by implementing a fee to camp in the area. He also says Makua Beach will remain closed for an undetermined period this fall while it gets cleaned.

“We need to reduce this insane amount of opala that is left behind and start to heal, restore and clean up the resource,” Cottrell said. (“Opala” means “trash” in Hawaiian.)

Bags of trash, clothes and chairs were among the mess of items left scattered about at the site. Officials also say some campers dug a hole in the sand and used it as a toilet. Cottrell said that could be a threat to public health.

“Until we conduct further tests, we can’t say whether it’s even safe for people to be in the area, because the soils may be contaminated or infected,” Cottrell said.

It is illegal to camp at Makua, but the state has allowed it on weekends in a long-standing informal agreement with the community. Cottrell said the problem with trash on the beach has been an ongoing issue.

“Part of the problem is every weekend we clean up the rubbish, and every weekend they come back and leave more,” Cottrell said. “Some people are good, responsible. They clean up after themselves. Unfortunately, not everyone does that.”

Workers and volunteers worked Tuesday to clean up Kaena Point State Park, from Makua down to Yokohama.