Woman ID’d in zip line fatality ADVERTISING Woman ID’d in zip line fatality MAKAWAO, Maui (AP) — Police say the woman who died in a zip line accident in Makawao worked for the company operating the attraction. Police identify the
Woman ID’d in zip line fatality
MAKAWAO, Maui (AP) — Police say the woman who died in a zip line accident in Makawao worked for the company operating the attraction.
Police identify the victim as 29-year-old Patricia Rabellizsa of Kihei. She worked for Piiholo Ranch Zipline.
Officials from the company haven’t responded to requests for comment. A posting on the company’s Facebook page expresses condolences and says it is cooperating with the police investigation.
A cause of death is pending autopsy results.
Fire officials say she fell about 150 feet into a gulch on Thursday. It’s not clear if she fell from a zip line tower or was on the zip line course.
Maui has about a half-dozen zip line attractions. Zip lines send thrill-seekers gliding along cables at speeds approaching 30 mph. They are often in rural areas.
Kauai forest to get new fence
LIHUE, Kauai (AP) — The state Department of Land and Natural Resources will install a fence to protect Kauai forest from the Na Pali Coast up to the Alakai plateau.
The project in the Hono O Na Pali Natural Area Reserve will control invasive weeds like Australian tree ferns and remove pigs and goats.
The 3.3-mile fence will also keep out pigs and goats. The animals spread invasive weeds and prey upon seabird nests.
The department said Thursday the plan will help protect native forests that are essential for supplying fresh water on Kauai. The forests act as a sponge, absorbing rain and fog moisture from passing clouds.
This project is funded in part by U.S. Forest Service grants and state’s “The Rain Follows the Forest” watershed initiative.
Better airport security sought
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — California Congressman Eric Swalwell says a teen stowaway who flew to Maui in a jet wheel well should never have been able to climb the San Jose International Airport fence undetected.
Swalwell said Friday he’s asking the Transportation Security Administration to test perimeter alert systems at several U.S. airports to see if technology can help prevent future breaches.
Yahya Abdi of Santa Clara, Calif., survived the April 20 trip to Maui.
After touring San Jose airport’s perimeter, Swalwell said no video has surfaced confirming the teen’s claim he climbed the fence, nor are there signs of where he went over.
Swalwell says airport officials told him they already are increasing video surveillance. But he says there simply isn’t enough manpower to watch all the video feeds.
