News briefs for Aug. 31: New law office, cutter comes home, mariners rescued and more
Obenauf Law Group expands to Big Island with new Kailua-Kona office
Maui-based estate planning and elder law practice Obenauf Law Group expanded to serve Hawai‘i Island with the opening of a new office in Kailua-Kona. With nearly a quarter of Big Island residents at or near retirement age, the expansion allows the firm to meet the growing demand for accessible, high-caliber estate planning, elder law and probate services throughout West Hawai‘i.
Obenauf Law Group is Known for its transparent flat-fee approach and compassionate legal guidance. It brings a client-focused model directly to Big Island families, specializing in helping residents safeguard assets, navigate long-term care, protect minor children and preserve generational wealth through personalized estate strategies.
The office offers comprehensive legal services tailored to the unique needs of Hawai’i families, including family estate planning and revocable living trusts, elder law and Medicaid planning, probate and trust administration and protection for minor children. The office is located at 75-3905 Wālua Road. Visit the law group’s website to schedule a meeting or call 808-244-3905.
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US Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane returns home following 75-day patrol
The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane returned this month to Pearl Harbor following a 75-day patrol in support of Coast Guard Oceania District’s Operation Blue Pacific. Harriet Lane and its 100 crewmembers departed Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in June to conduct combined operations and territorial integrity missions within Oceania.
Patrolling more than 16,000 nautical miles throughout the Pacific Ocean including the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Australia, the cutter worked alongside regional partners to deter transnational criminal activities, facilitate the flow of commerce and protect critical ocean resources. The vessel also hosted foreign delegates and participated in bilateral maritime and domestic federal maritime law enforcement operations plus community relations, among other events and missions.
The 270-foot medium endurance Harriet Lane was commissioned in 1984 and is homeported in Honolulu to support Coast Guard missions in the Pacific region. The service’s medium endurance cutter fleet supports a variety of Coast Guard missions including search and rescue, law enforcement, maritime defense and protection of the marine environment.
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US Coast Guard honors partners who helped rescue of 18 mariners southeast of Tokyo
U.S. Coast Guard is honoring government and private sector partners for their coordinated efforts to assist with rescuing 18 mariners about 830 nautical miles southeast of Tokyo after Coast Guard Joint Region Sub-Center Guam received a satellite phone call at shortly after 2:30 a.m. Aug. 19 from the captain of U.S.-flagged SLNC York, which was reporting its engineroom was rapidly taking on water.
Guam watchstanders immediately gathered critical information, issued an emergency broadcast to mariners and identified potential assets to assist. Communications among the vessel in distress, Coast Guard Area and District command centers, Japanese government and responding assets were established and maintained.
The Guam team — despite the vessel being hundreds of miles outside its search-and-rescue area of responsibility — continued to support rescue efforts, requesting assistance from nearby vessels. The crews of the Pacific Yantai, Gas Blue Bonnet and Lian Cherng Yih responded. As uncontrolled flooding continued, the captain of the SLNC York ordered the crew to abandon ship and deployed the vessel’s lifeboat. The Pacific Yantai crew rescued all 18 crewmembers from the lifeboat at about 7:30 p.m. Chamorro Standard Time Aug. 19.
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Honolulu police investigating woman’s body found in Waikīkī dumpster
The body of a 50-year-old flight attendant was found Aug. 20 in a dumpster at Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikīkī on O‘ahu, which Honolulu police are investigating as an unattended death. Foul play is not suspected.
Aloha State Daily reported that the body was identified by national publications Jenny Lupton of Moore, Okla., who was a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines and in Hawai‘i on a layover. Honolulu Police Department continues to investigate, with homicide detectives said to be working with the woman’s family along with reviewing video surveillance and more.
No conclusions regarding the manner of Lupton’s death have been made. Further information will be withheld as the investigation is ongoing. Honolulu police, however, will notify the public if any immediate threats to the community are identified.
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University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center lab designated as International Atomic Energy Agency Collaborating Centre
The Body Composition Shared Resource Laboratory at University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center received a prestigious designation as an International Atomic Energy Agency Collaborating Centre, recognizing the lab as a center of excellence in assessing body composition, an important risk factor in cancer and other diseases. The laboratory in Kaka‘ako, O‘ahu, is now one of only eight collaborating centres worldwide and the only one dedicated to nutrition.
The designation includes a joint work plan through 2030, with the laboratory working to standardize nuclear and radiological body composition assessment techniques, including DXA and deuterium dilution isotope methods; host technical workshops; conduct collaborative research projects; and deliver specialized clinical and technical training and resources for International Atomic Energy Agency member states. The need for such training is urgent because obesity is associated with approximately 20% of all cancers.
The IAEA is the world’s central intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field. Working under the banner “Atoms for Peace and Development,” it promotes the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology, contributing to international peace and security and to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The agency designates Collaborating Centres to conduct research, development and training in support of its work with member states.
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Schatz, local leaders discuss expanding housing access for Native Hawaiians
U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Hawai‘i Democrat and vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, recently led a roundtable discussion with local leaders about innovations and partnerships helping to expand housing access for Native Hawaiians.
The senator was joined by Hawai‘i state Rep. Kirstin Kahaloa of the Big Island; Hawaiian Homes Commission Chairperson Kali Watson, Hawaiian Council President and Chief Executive Officer Kūhiō Lewis, Housing Hawai‘i’s Future Executive Director Lee Wang and Hawai‘i YIMBY Chapter Lead Damien Waikōloa.
Schatz earlier this year introduced the NAHASDA Modernization Act, which proposes comprehensive, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize and modernize federal housing programs serving Native Hawaiians and other Native communities.
