A string of unsettling local incidents is raising safety concerns in Honolulu, while a Hawaii Supreme Court case asks whether zoo elephants deserve legal rights.

• An armed man robbed a student of his car in broad daylight at Kapiolani Community College, fleeing toward Kahala; the student was not hurt, but the area has also seen a recent beach abduction attempt and another nearby assault, rattling a usually calm neighborhood.
• A 70-year-old man fell 30 feet into an old, hidden cesspool in his backyard and was rescued with rope equipment; he's recovering, but the case is a warning that aging cesspool covers on older properties may be cracking and unsafe.
• Hawaii's top court is weighing whether two Honolulu Zoo elephants have a legal right to liberty, with petitioners pushing for their possible return to Asia; the city argues that's a decision for lawmakers, not judges, and a ruling is expected in coming months.
• PETA is lobbying Oxford's dictionary to drop "coward" as a definition of "chicken," arguing the slang unfairly stigmatizes the animals and feeds into their mistreatment in the food industry.

Outlook: Police are still searching for the carjacking suspect, and the elephant-rights ruling could set a notable precedent for animal legal status if it comes down in the petitioners' favor.